And by what Comparison shall I re- 31. It may fitly be compared to a 32. But when this Grain of Mustard-feed grows up, it becomes one of the biggest of Plants, so as to shoot out into a Tree: So the Doctrine of Chriftia nity will in time spread incredibly; 33. Thus Jefus taught the People by way of Similitude or Comparifon, † obfcurely and by little and † Not, as little discovering the Truth, as they many Inwere capable of bearing it. For if terpreters he had declared the whole Truth ex- think, in the most ea prefly, and plainly described the Glory fie and inand Majefty of his Kingdom, they telligible would all have been offended at it, Manner : and none would have believed him: For that is But by these Parables he now gave the inconfiftfincerest Men amongst them obscure ent with Hints of what in due time they should ver. 12. see clearly brought to pass, and what they should be afterward confirmed in the Belief of, by the Remembrance of these obfcure Representations. 34. Thus Jefus, I say, taught the People in Parables; expreffing the Similitudes only, without adding their Explication. But when he was alone with his Disciples, he explained every thing to Them clearly and fully. R 3 35. Now 35. Now when the * Evening was come, Jefus ordered his Disciples to row over the Lake. ple 36. Accordingly, as foon as the Peowas dismissed, they carried him cross the Lake in the fame Boat out of which he had been preaching to the People: And fome other Boats also accompanied him. 37. And in their Passage there came upon them a violent Storm, which made the Lake so very rough, that the Waves beat into the Boat, and it was in great Danger of finking. 38. In the mean time Jesus lay asleep at the End of the Boat, and his Disciples ran to him in a great Fright, and awaked him, faying: Lord, we are just ready to be drowned; and can you fleep without taking notice of the Storm, or being at all concerned for our Preservation? 39. Then Jefus rose up, and with Authority commanded the Wind to fall, and the Water to be still; and the Words were no fooner out of his Mouth, but the Weather became presently calm, and the Lake grew fmooth and quiet. 40. Then turning about to his Difciples, he thus rebuked their Fearfulness and Distruft: How is it, faith he, that after so much Evidence of my Divine Power, and fo many Instances as I have given of my tender Con 35 And the same day when the even was come, he faith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other fide. 36 And when they had fent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship,and there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, fo that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, afleep on a pillow: and they a wake him, and say unto him, Mafter, careft thou not that we perish? 39 And he arofe, and rebuked the wind, and faid unto the fea, Peace, be ftill: and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he faid unto them, Why are ye fo fearful? how is it that you have no faith? * Whether of the fame, or of some other day wherein he had likewife been preaching, is not certain from the Words. For c τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ may here, (as well as in Matt. xiii. 1.) fignify no more than what St. Luke in the parallel Place expresses by có μι ἢ ἡμερῶν, Luc. viii. 22. cern for you, you can yet doubt either of 41. At this Miracle the Disciples themselves were surprized, and the * *Matt.viii Men of the Boat, and those in the † 27. other Boats were greatly aftonished, † Ver. 36. faying; How great is this Man, and of this Ch. how wonderful is his Power, that even the Winds and the Water thus obey him! CHAP. V. Jefus difpoffefses a Legion of Devils, ver. I. Heals a Bloodyflux, ver. 25. Raises Jairus's Daughter, ver. 35. AND they came over unto the other fide of the fea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs, and no man could bind him, no no not with chains. 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked afunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. I. WHEN Jefus had thus crossed over the Lake, he landed in the Country of the Gadarenes. 2. And as foon as he was come out of the Boat, there met him * a Man * One of poffeffed with an evil Spirit; whose the two Malice in tormenting the Man, the mention'd Providence of God directed and over- Matt. viii. ruled to be at this time an Occafion of 28. evidencing Jefus's Power. 3. The Condition of this Man had been most miferable: For the evil Spirit made him run wild in defert Places, and among the Sepulchres of the Dead; and he raged with such Fury and Strength, as that no Art or Force could tame him. 4. For Men had often attempted to bind him with Chains and Fetters; but he broke the Iron with ease, and tore in pieces the Chains like Thread, fo that nothing was able to hold him. 5. And he ran up and down Night and Day upon the Mountains and among the Tombs, crying horribly, and beating and wounding himself with Stones. 6. This Man, I say, spying Jesus afar off at his coming out of the Boat, ran to him and kneeled down and worshipped him; the evil Spirit being compelled by the Divine Power, to acknowledge the Majesty and Authority of Jesus. 7. And the evil Spirit cried out aloud, faying; Wherefore, O thou Son of the Supreme God, art thou come to torment us before the Time appointed by God for our final Judgment? I beseech thee, for God's fake, compel us not to return to our Prifon. 8. (For Jefus had commanded him to come out of the Man.) 9. Then Jesus, to show how great and frem how many Enemies the Man's Deliverance was to be, asked the evil Spirit who he was. The Spirit answered, my Name is Legion; sig nifying that there was a vast Number of them in the Man at once. 10. And they importunately defired Jefus, that if he compelled them to come out of the Man, yet they might be permitted to continue somewhere in that Country, and not be forced to return to their Chains of Darkness. 11. Now it happened that there was at that Instant a great Herd of Swine feeding about the neighbouring Moun tains. 12. The Devils therefore earnest 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains, great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the de ly intreated Jesus, that if they might vils befought him, faying, clean spirits went out, and entred into the fwine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the fea, (they were about two thousand) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country, And they went out to fee what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was pof. feffed with the devil, and had the legion, fitting, and clothed, and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And they that faw it, told them how it befel to him that was poffefsed with the devil, and alfo concerning the fwine. 17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coafts. no longer possess the Man, yet at least 13. This Request Jesus * easily *The pro. granted; and the Devils accordingly bable Reacoming out of the Man, went into fons why the Swine: And the Effect of it was, he did fo, that the Swine, (which were a Herd of fee in the about Two Thousand in Number) Matt. viii. were presently hurried down a Precipice into the Lake, and were drown- 32. ed. 14. When the Keepers of the Swine saw this, they fled; and reported in the City and Country what Things they had seen, and what had befallen their Swine. And abundance of People came out to see and be fatisfied of the Truth of it. 15. And they came to the Place where Jesus was, and saw the Man sober and in his right Wits, whom they all knew to have been possessed with a Devil, and to have run about naked and mad: And they were convinced of the Truth of the Miracle, and aftonished at the Power of Jesus. 16. For those that had been prefent from the Beginning, and were Eye-witnesses of the whole Matter, told them all the particular Circumstances how the Man was healed and the Swine deftroyed. 17. They were therefore fully convinced of the Truth of the Miracle; But being more afraid of the Power of Jefus manifefted in the Destruction of the Swine, than pleased with his Goodness in delivering the Man, they intreated him to depart out of their Country. 18. Jefus, Note on |