Certainly this Man must be the zed, and said, Is not Meffiah.

24. But the Pharisees, who were hardened against all Conviction, when they heard the People thus talk, faid within themselves: No; This Man, who is a breaker of Sabbaths and a despiser of our Traditions, cannot act by Divine Power and Authority; but it must be by Confederacy with the Prince of the Devils, that he thus cafteth out Devils.

25. But Jesus knowing their Thoughts, faid; With what perverseness do you now reason among your selves! For whatever is done by Confederacy with evil Spirits, must be something that promotes the Interest of Evil Spirits and the cause of Wickedness, and not any thing directly contrary thereto: Unless you will imagin that any Kingdom or Society, can be supported by Quarrels and Divifions within it felf.

26. If therefore cafting out Devils, and that in Confirmation of a Doctrine directly contrary to the Interest of evil Spirits, be a thing not to be done by Confederacy with those Evil Spirits; then nothing can be more abfurdly malicious, than this your Accufation of

me.

27. But befides; your own Countrymen and Relations have fometimes undertaken to cast out Devils, and yet ye never accused them of Confederacy with evil Spirits: What reafon have ye then to accufe me thereof, who have never caft out Devils by any worfe means, or to serve any worse purpose? So that either these your own People must condemn you of Partiality and unjust Judgment, or elfe ye must

this the son of David?

24 But when the Pharifees heard it, they faid, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the

devils.

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and faid unto them, Every kingdom divided against it felf, is brought to desolaon: and every city or house divided against it self, shall not stand.

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himhis kingdom ftand?

self; how shall then

27 And if I by Beelzebub caft out devils, by whom do your children caft

them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

needs acknowledge that I caft out Devils by a Divine Power.

28. And now if the thing it self be apparent, and ye cannot without extream Unreasonableness and the utmost degree of Malice deny it, that what I do is by the immediate Power of God; then here is a convincing Proof, that I am truly fent from God, that I act by his Commission, and that the Doctrine which I preach is for the eftablishment of his Kingdom.

29. For as one's entring into a strong Man's House, and forcibly difpoffeffing him of his Goods, is an evident Proof, that he who so enters, is stronger and comes with greater Authority than he that had the first Possession: So my breaking the Power of Devils, by cafting them out of the Bodies, and destroying their Dominion over the Minds of Men, is an undeniable Demonftration of my being sent by a Power and Authority greater than theirs.

30. When two great Powers are at irreconcilable Enmity against each other, even he that only forbears joining with one fide, is thereby reputed to be against it: * How much more therefore ought I, who have actually done fo many things towards destroying the Power and Kingdom of the Devil, to be believed to act really in oppofition to him? And * he that shall not joyn with me in this great Work, shall be look'd upon to be againft me.

** This Verse being capable of two Senses, whereof it is not eafie to determine which was principally intended by our Saviour, I have endeavoured in the Paraphrafe to express both.

31 Wherefore

31. Since therefore 'tis as evident as is poffible, that the Works which I say unto you, All

I do, are by the Authority of God, and by the Power of his holy Spirit; I tell you, whofoever shall refift this Conviction, by fuch a degree of Malice as afcribing these Works to the Power of the Devil, God will not afford to such a Man any further Conviction ; so that though all other Sins and Blafphemies whatsoever may be repented of and forgiven, yet he that shall be guilty of this, shall never have granted him any further means of Repentance and Forgiveness.

32. All other Sins, I fay, may be forgiven: Even he that speaks against me, and is not convinced by my preaching, may yet afterwards be convinced by the Power of the Holy Ghost, and repent and be forgiven. But he that shall obftinately refift this last Means of Conviction, which God has thought fit to make use of for the Conversion of Mankind, and shall maliciously revile the most evident Operations of the Spirit of God; fuch a one has no further Means left, by which he might be convinced and brought to Repentance, and confequently he can never be forgiven.

33. In vain do ye Pharifees pretend to Holiness and Sincerity of Heart, while ye fuffer your Mouths to utter fuch Blafphemies. For as a Tree is known by its Fruit, so a Man's Words are Signs of the Difpofition of his

Heart. Either therefore forbear Blafpheming, or else pretend not to Religion at all, with which such Behaviour is utterly inconfiftent,

34. But indeed it is impossible ye should fpeak otherwise than Evil. For

manner of fin and

blafphemy shall be forgiven unto men : but the blafphemy shall not be forgiven against the holy Ghoft unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but who

foever speakethagainst the Holy

Ghoft, it shall not be forgiven him,neither in this world, neither in the world

to come.

or

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers, how

can

can ye, being evil, speak good things?

for out of the abundance of the

heart the mouth

speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treafure of the heart, bringeth forth good things : and an evil man out of the evil treafure, bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

38 Then certain of the Scribes

and of the Pharifees

anfwered, faying, Master, we would fee a sign from thee. 39 But he anfwered and faid to them, An evil

and adulterous ge

neration seeketh after a sign, and there

shall no fign be given to it, but the fign of the prophet Jonas.

ye are a perverse and malicious Gcneration of Men, and the Thoughts of Mens Hearts will discover themselves

by their Words.

35. A good Man, whose Thoughts and Designs are good, will utter good Things: And a wicked Man, whose Thoughts and Designs are wicked, will utter evil Things.

36. And do not think that Mens Words are a light thing, and pass unheeded in the fight of God. I tell you, there is no falfity or evil Word, that a Man speaks, so trivial, which shall not be examined and have its regard in the exactness of the Divine Judgment; how much more shall Revilings and Blafphemies be accounted for?

37. For not only by Mens Actions, but alfo by their Words, shall their State be determined; and Judgment accordingly be passed upon them.

38. Then fome of the Jewish Doctors and Pharifees spake to Jesus, faying; Master, we are not satisfied with the Works you have yet done; we defire you would call for fome miraculous Sign from Heaven, which may demonstrate you to be fent from God, and to act by his Power and Commission.

39. But Jesus knowing their Obstinacy and Malice, answered them thus. Ye are a perverse and degenerate Generation of Men : I have already worked many and great Miracles, and ye believe me not; I have done many wonderful Works in your Sight here on Earth, and now nothing will fatisfy you but a Sign from Heaven. I tell you, God will not vouchsafe any more Signs to this Generation: but only one fuch Sign as was that of the Prophet Jonas, to render them inexcusable.

40. For

40. For as Jonas, after having been three Days buried in the Sea in the Belly of the Whale, was caft up again alive: So Christ, after he shall be killed and buried in the Earth, shall on the third Day be raised again.

41. And then this Generation shall, by being compared with the People of Nineveh, appear to be most justly condemned to utter Destruction. For when the Men of Nineveh were preach'd to by Jonas, who was a Stranger, and but a mean Person; who continued among them but three Days, and worked no Miracles to confirm his Miffion; they yet hearkened to him and repented. But this Generation, though they have Christ himself fent to preach to them; though they hear his Doctrine, and fee his Miracles; though they wonder at the Authority and Plainness with which he teaches, and are aftonished at the Power by which he acts; yet they are not by all these things brought to Repentance.

42. Again, this Generation shall, by being compared with the Queen of Sheba, appear to be most justly condemned and destroyed. For the having heard afar off the Fame of Solomon's Wisdom, took a very long Journey to go and fee and admire it: But the Men of this Generation, having a Teacher of far greater Wisdom and Knowledge, offering himself to instruct them in their own Streets, yet despise and reject him.

43 & 44 & 45. I will tell you therefore by an easie Similitude, what

shall be the Cafe of the Men of this Generation, and how they shall be dealt with. As an evil Spirit, when he is caft out of a Man, wandreth through the World, and not meeting with En

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly; fo shall the fon of man

be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and behold, a greater than Jonas

is here.

42 The queen of the fouth shall rife up in the judgment with this generati

on, and shall condemn it: for the

came from the ut

termost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater then Solomon is here.

43 When the unclean spirit is gone

out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth