DISCOURSE XIV. THE PARALYTIC HEALED. IATT. IX, 2. And behold, they brought to him a man fick of the palfy, lying on a bed: and Jesus feeing their faith, faid unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy fins be forgiven thee. T XIV. HE active and elementary parts of DISC. nature, wheresoever they exist, will manifest themselves by their effects; fire will warm, light will shine, aromatics will fend forth sweet odours. Jesus, in like manner, on all occasions discovers himself to be what his names implies, the SA VIOUR; leaving behind him, in every place, the VOL. III. XIV. DISC. the warmth of fervent charity, the light of evangelical doctrine, and the fragrance of a good report concerning something done for the benefit of man, and the glory of God. He goeth about, not to gratify or to profit himself, but to diffuse his beneficence. He either teaches, or comforts, or raises from the dead, or heals, or feeds, or delivers, or departs into folitude to pray. And all for us. For us he preaches, that we may learn the truth; for us he heals, and performs other miracles, that we may believe him; for us no less he retires, for us he prays, for us he gives thanks to his Father. Thus he changes his situation often, his disposition never; in this, as well as other things, " leaving us an example, that we should fol" low his steps," and not fuffer any outward difference of circumstances to make us forget our Christian profeffion. The Gergefenes, as we find by the conclusion of the preceding chapter, preferring the preservation of their swine to the falvation of their fouls, and therefore " de" firing XIV. " firing him to depart out of their coasts; DISC. " he entered into a ship, and pafssed over, " and came into his own city, Capernaum," i. e. the city not where he was born, but where he lived; a trafficking, luxurious, proud city; and for that reason, as mercy looks out for the miferable, and a physician for them that are sick, chosen by him; who, though the only man that ever was without fin, disdained not to dwell and converse with finners, feeing he came to call fuch to repentance. Here it was that he performed the miracle mentioned in the text, which it is the design of the following discourse first to illuftrate, and then to apply. It being " noised about" (as St. Mark in his account informs us) that Jesus was returned to Capernaum, and was in a certain house in the town, "straightway many " were gathered together, infomuch that " there was no room to receive them, no not "so much as about the door; and he," XIV. DISC. who always rejoiced much more to teach than any could do to learn of him, "preach"ed the word" of life and falvation " to "them." The fermon was with authority and power, and the audience very attentive. 1 But behold (for so St. Matthew introduces this miracle, and well worthy our beholding it will appear to be) an object on a sudden presented itself, which quickly engaged the notice of the speaker, no less than that of the hearers. A bed, with a poor wretch confined to it by the palsy, was seen descending from the roof, till it came down into the room and rested, where all that want rest must find it, at the feet of Jesus. Some good neighbours and friends of this unhappy man, it seems, who by the nature of his disease was rendered incapable of helping himself, were so kind as to carry him between four of them where they knew he might have relief. For it is plain, by the pains they took, that they had no doubt but Christ could and would heal : |