them; for they were taken with great fear and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.

38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him but Jesus sent him away, saying,

39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

k Mat. xii. 46. Mark iii. 31.- Mat. viii. 23. Mark iv. 35.-m Mat. viii. 28. Mark v. I.-n Rev. xx. 3.-0 Mat. viii. 34.—p Acts xvi. 39.-q Mark v. 18.

See § XLIII.
Matthew XII. 46–50.

and § XXX.
Matthew VIII. 23-34.

gogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his

house :

42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.

43 ¶And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his gar

ment and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that 'virtue is gone out of me.

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

48 And he said unto her,

Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

49 While he yet spake, 49¶While

there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.

50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him saying, Fear not believe only, and she shall be made whole.

51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.

52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.

53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.

54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, ” arise.

55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway and he commanded to give her meat.

Mat. ix. 18. Mark v. 22.- Mat. ix. 20.-/ Mark v. 30. ch. vi. 19.-u Mark v. 85.- John xi. 11, 13.—y ch.

See § XXXII.

Matthew IX. 18-26.

§ CLXXXIV.

CHAP. IX. 1—17.

Christ sendeth his apostles to work miracles and to preach. Herod desired to see Christ.

THEN he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece

4 "And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.

k

10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. 'And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

12" And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.

13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes ; except we should go and

14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company.

15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.

16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.

17 And they did eat, and were all filled and there was taken up of fragments that remained baskets.

to

them twelve

a Mat. x. 1. Mark iii. 13; & vi. 7.- Mat. x. 7,8. Mark vi. 12. ch. x. 1, 9.-c Mat. x. 9. Mark vi. 8. ch.

x.4; xxii. 35.
3.-m Mat. xiv. 15. Mark vi. 35. John vi. 1,5.

Mat. x. 11. Mark vi. 10.-e Mat. x.

14.- Acts xiii. 51.-g Mark vi. 12.-h Mat. xiv. 1. Mark vi. 14.-i ch. xxiii. 8.—k Mark vi. 30.- Mat xiv.

See § XXXIV.

Matthew X. 1—15.

And XLVII. XLVIII.

Matthew XIV. 1—21.

§ CLXXXV.

CHAP. IX. 18-27.

Christ enquireth what opinion the world had of him; foretelleth his passion; proposeth to all the pattern of his patience.

18 ¶ "And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and

he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

0

19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.

20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? "Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

21 'And he straightly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;

22 Saying,, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but who

soever will lose his life for sake, the same shall save it.

my

25 'For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

26" For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his

READER. He asked them saying, Whom say the people that I am? See

the Commentary on Matthew XVI. 13-16. in § LIV.

The Son of Man must suffer many things, &c. See the Commentary on Matthew XVI. 21. in § LV.

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me.-We see what it is which our Saviour commands us when he enjoins us to deny ourselves, and take up our cross; even that we do not gratify ourselves in any thing that is ungrateful to him, nor grudge to take up any cross, or suffer any trouble we meet with in the world for his sake, thinking nothing too dear to forsake, nor anything too heavy to bear for him who thought not his own life too dear, nor the cross itself too heavy to bear for us. What now remains, but that knowing our Saviour's pleasure we should all resolve to do it? There is none of us but hope and desire to be saved by him; but that we can never be, unless we observe what he hath and amongst other things, we see prescribed in order to our salvation; how he hath commanded us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross. And let us not think that we shall

deny ourselves any real pleasure or profit by renouncing our sins; for what pleasure can we have in displeasing God; or profit to our own souls? No, we shall gratify ourselves, more than we can imagine, by denying ourselves, as much as we are able, whatsoever is offensive or displeasing unto God; for we may be sure, he that came into the world on purpose to save us from evil, commands us nothing but for our own good; neither would he ever have obliged us to deny ourselves, if we could have been saved without it; and as for the cross, that he was so well acquainted with, that he would never have imposed it upon us to take it up, but that it is indispensably necessary for us. And therefore if we be what we pretend, real and true Christians, let us manifest it to the world, and to our own consciences, by denying ourselves whatsoever Christ hath denied us, and by observing whatsoever he hath commanded us, even to the taking up of any cross that he for his own sake shall suffer to be laid upon us; still remembering, that self-denial, though it be unpleasant, is a most necessary duty; and the cross, though it be never so heavy, is but short, and hath nothing less than a crown annexed unto it, a glorious and eternal crown, which all those shall most certainly obtain, who deny themselves.

It is a hard case if we cannot deny ourselves for him who so far denied himself for us, as to lay down his own life to redeem ours. He who was equal to God himself, yea,

who himself was the true God, so far denied himself as to become a man, yea, "A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief," for us and cannot we deny ourselves so much as a fancy, a conceit, a sin, or lust for him? How then can we expect that he should own us for his friends, his servants, or his disciples? No, he will never do it, neither can we in reason expect that he should give himself and all the merits of his death and passion unto us, so long as we think much to give ourselves unto him, or to deny ourselves for him. And therefore, if we desire to be made partakers of those glorious things which he hath purchased with his own precious blood for the sons of men, let us begin here,indulge our flesh no longer, but deny ourselves whatsoever God hath been pleased to forbid. And for that end, let us endeavour every day more and more to live above the temper of our bodies, and above the allurements of the world, live as those who believe and profess that they are none of their own, but Christ's; his by creation, it was he that made us; his by preservation, it is he that maintains us; and his by redemption, it is he that hath purchased and redeemed us with his own blood. And therefore let us deny ourselves for the future to our very selves, whose we are not, and devote ourselves to him whose alone we are by this we shall manifest ourselves to be Christ's disciples indeed: especially if we do not only deny ourselves, but also take up our cross and follow him; which brings