Power, and his Goodness as both. Poverty and Sickness were the Motives of his Mercy, and the Mifery and Meannefs of any one's Condition rather help'd than hinder'd the Influence of his Bounty. Accordingly his Bowels yearn'd towards this fick Perfon, and feeing their Faith, which he did by this extraordinary way of bringing him to him, said unto the fick of the Palfy, Son, be of good cheer; he was affected towards him as a Father is to a Son, and pitied him as much as a Parent doth his own Child whom he loveth: Son, faith he; and what a loving Compellation is that to a Stranger, and in Distress too, and from the Mouth of the Son of God? How was he transported, think you, at fo dear and gracious a Title, or what might he not expect from one, who at first fight took him into fo near a Relation; Son, be of good cheer? What reviving Words were thefe to this poor Paralytick? A Cordial higher than the strongest Potion, efpecially coming from the Lips of fo Divine a Perfon.

But what were the Ingredients in it, that could adminif ter fo much Comfort? Why, that the next words declare, Son, be of good cheer, thy Sins be forgiven thee: Words that drop the greatest Sweetness, and are able to revive the moft fainting Spirit; for next to Health, which he afterward reftor'd, what could more comfort a fick Perfon, than the Forgiveness of his Sins, which is far better than Health or Life it felf? And therefore before he remov'd the Diftempers of his Body, or cur'd his Palfy, he thought fit to heal the greater Maladies of his Soul, and to feal his Pardon to him; well knowing that both Soul and Body would fare well enough when that was done.

But certain of the Scribes, whofe Eyes were evil, because his were good, faid within themselves, for they durft not fpeak it openly, This Man blafphemeth, for who can forgive Sins, fave God only? Where, by reafoning among themselves, they fought to charge him with Blafphemy, partly to ren der him odious to the People, by ufurping upon God, and affuming to himself the fole incommunicable Prerogative of forgiving of Sins, and partly to bring him under the Cenfure and Penalty of the Law against Blafphemy, which was to be stoned to death: for fo we read, Levit. 24. 16. He that blafphemeth the Name of the Lord hall furely be put to death, and all the Congregation fhall certainly tone him, as well the Stranger, as he that dwelleth in the Land; when he blafphemeth the Name of the Lord, he shall be put to death. Thus we find that when Chrift faid, I and my Father

Either are one, they faid he blafphemed, and were taking up of Stones to ftone him; John 10. 30, 31. And when he ftil'd himself The Son of God, they ask'd him, Why blaf phemeft thou, faying, I am the Son of God? and were again for ftoning him; ver. 36. Blafphemy is a Sin that Hieth in the Face of Heaven, by detracting from the Honour of God, or invading his Attributes, and juftly deferves the feverest Punishment; and being fo heinous and capital a Crime, the Scribes and Pharifees, the bitter Enemies of our Saviour, fought to faften it upon him, and thereby either to put him to death, or to put a ftop to the spreading of his Doctrine.

But Jefus, knowing their Thoughts, which, being Searcher of the Hearts, could not be hid from him, faid unto them, Why think ye Evil in your Hearts? which was but a gentle Reproof for fo vile an Accufation; Why do ye entertain fuch hard Thoughts, or harbour in your Hearts fuch malicious Designs? And the better to convince them of the Folly of their evil and unjuft Surmifes, he makes a Comparison between the Power of forgiving of Sins, and the Power of giving Health to a fick Man by a word's Speaking, asking the Queftion, Whether is easier to fay, Thy Sins be forgiven thee? or to fay, Arife and walk? And tho both these are equally eafy and feasible to a Divine Power, yet, because they vainly thought it a higher and more diffi cult thing to cure this diseafed Man by a Word, than to forgive him his Sins, he was pleas'd to do that which they judg'd most difficult, to convince them that he could do that which they esteem'd more eafy; and fo argu'd with them a majori ad minus, from his doing the greater to his Ability of doing the lefs: and that the fame Divine Power, that was able to reftore Health to his Body by a word's fpeaking, was able likewife to fave his Soul, by fealing to him the Pardon of his Sins; the fame Infinite and Almighty Power being requir'd to both.

Now here follows the Miracle, for their Satisfaction, in the next words; That ye may know that the Son of Man (whom you are so apt to defpife) hath Power on Earth, as well as in Heaven, to forgive Sins, then faith he to the Sick of the Palfy, Arife, take up thy Bed, and go unto thine House: Upon the uttering of which Words, he immediately arofe, and departed to his own Houfe. These healing words of our Saviour chafed away his Disease, rid him of his Palfy, and

reftor'd

reftor'd him perfectly found and whole. He who was borne on the Shoulders of four Men to our Saviour, was very well able to go home alone; and he who before depended whol ly upon the Strength of others, was now able to walk by his own he bore the Bed upon his Shoulders, that before bore him, and return'd more nimbly to his House than his former Bearers.

This is the Miracle, which we read and ought to medi ditate upon this Day, and is indeed well worthy of it, being a Miracle truly great and divine in fundry respects: As,

it, In refpect of the Author, who was no lefs a Perfon than the Son of God, and God bleffed for ever: His daily and ordinary Actions highly deferve our Notice and Obfervation, but his miraculous Acts much more. The Jews were charged and upbraided with Ingratitude for not confidering the Works of the Lord, nor regarding the Operations of his Hand; but how much more may Chriftians be upbraided with it, if they regard not the Miracles of Chrilt, which fo vaftly exceeded all that was done or recorded by Mofes and the Prophets? Corazin and Bethfai da, who heard the Doctrine, and faw the Miracles of Chrift, were threaten'd with a heavier Doom than Tyre and Sidon, who were never blefs'd with either; and Capernaum, where this and many other Miracles were perform'd, were faid to be lifted up to Heaven in their Privileges, and therefore fhould fink fo much the deeper into Hell, for their not believing and amending by them. In like manner fad will be the Account of the Deifts and Infidels of our Age, for doubting or denying the Truth of thefe Miracles, which ftand upon Record in the Gofpel, and were confirm'd beyond all reasonable Contradiction.

2dly, This Miracle was great in refpect of the Perfon upon whom it was wrought, who labour'd under those great and incurable Diftempers, which neither Nature nor Art were ever able to remove, and yet were foon and eafily cur'd by his Divine Hand: Which fhews it,

3dly, To be great, and worth Confideration, in refpect of the wonderful Manner of effecting it, which was not by the natural and ordinary Ways and Methods of Phyfick, but only by a Word of his Mouth; for he no fooner faid, Arife, take up thy Bed and walk, but prefently he, who be fore was not able to move hand or foot, was able to do all thefe.

Laftly,

Laftly, This Miracle was great in refpect of the End for which it was wrought; and that was partly to confirm the Divinity of Chrift's Perfon, and partly to confirm the Truth of the Doctrine deliver'd by him: both which were abundantly prov'd by fuch Works of Wonder, as no Man ever did, and fuch Words of eternal Life, as no Man ever spoke; and therefore we find our Saviour appealing to them for the Proof of his Meffiahfhip, faying, If I do not the Works of my Father, believe me not, but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the Works, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. John 10. 37, 38. This for the Miracle.

But what was the Effect of it? or what Influence had it upon those that faw it? Why, that the

Laft words of the Gofpel will inform us; When the Multitude faw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, who had gi ven fuch Power unto Men. Admiration and Adoration were the general and. ufual Effects and Confequents of all his mighty Works, which carry'd fuch apparent Marks and Signatures of a Divine Hand, as could not but aftonish, and make them ftand amaz'd at the fight of them. They marvelled, that is, they were feiz'd with Wonder, and ftruck with Admiration at the Greatness of them, and the fupernatural Ways of doing them; and that put them upon glorifying of God, afcribing all the Efficacy and Operation of them to his Divine Hand, who alone was able to bring them to pafs; adoring his Almighty and Infinite Wildom and Goodness in making Men the Inftruments of doing fuch mighty Works for their Conviction; for he it was that gave fuch Power unto Men. Such they yet thought Chrift to be, being not fully inftructed in his eternal Power and Godhead.

Thus we fee the Subftance of this Day's Gofpel, and the Miracle related in it, which is every way worthy of our moft ferious Thoughts and Meditations. And from the

whole we may learn the following Leffons:

(1.) From Chrift's pafling over the Sea, and going from place to place, we learn his unweary'd Diligence in doing Good, for that was the End and Defign of all his Motions: His whole Life was spent in the Service of Mankind, and promoting their Welfare; he did it not by the by, or now and then upon great Occafions, but 'twas the whole Em

ployment

ployment of his Life; his Meat, and Drink, and Recrea tion too was to be doing Good: His Practice herein is an excellent Pattern for all his Followers, who are to iníitate him herein as far as they can, and to omit no Opportunities of ferving one another, according to their feveral Abilities and Capacities. But this hath been elsewhere prefs'd and recommended more at large.

(2.) From what hath been faid, we may obferve our Saviour's great Kindness to this poor Paralytick, in healing the Maladies both of Body and Soul together; for he at once remov'd his Palfy for the Health of his Body, and pronounc'd his Pardon for the Welfare of his Soul, and by both blefs'd him with a perfect and compleat Cure of all his Infirmities: he did not things by halves, nor made any empty and infignificant Offers of Kindnefs, but ever did more than he feem'd to promife or pretend to, yea more than any could ask or think, which is a farther Inftance of his inexpreffible Love to Mankind, and ought to be both admir'd' and imitated by us as well as we may:

(3.) From the Scribes and Pharifees carping at our Saviour, and charging him with Blafphemy for forgiving the Sins of this poor Paralytick, we learn the Proneness of evil Men to defame the beft Perfons, and find fault with the beft Actions; and if they dealt fo with Chrift himself, his Difciples may not expect better Dealing from them. The Difciple is not above his Lord; and if our Master met with evil Treatment from the Scribes and Pharifees, we may learn to bear with the fame Ufage from the like Perfons: daily Experience fhews us how apt ill-minded Men are to accuse and traduce fuch as are every way better than themselves, and to fpy a Mote in their Brother's Eye, when they cannot fee a Beam in their own; we find what perverfe Comments and Conftructions they make of the most innocent and well-meaning Actions, and how greedily they feek occafions of Trouble and Disturbance. We obferv'd this in many other Inftances of the Pharifees, and we may easily obferve the fame in too many of their Followers.

(4.) From our Saviour's working a Miracle to take off the Charge of Blafphemy, and exerting his Divine Power to filence his Enemies, we may learn to ufe all poffible Means, and particularly by well-doing (as the Apostle directs) to put to filence the Ignorance of foolish Men. St. Paul's Advice is, Let not your Good be evil spoken of: Now though this be not always in our power to prevent, yet we are to

do