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Jesus, is the faith required of a Christian. Doubtless it is pleasing to him when men are not restrained by the difficulties which sometimes oppose them. "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." Jesus sees the faith of those who resolve to follow him, notwithstanding inconvenience, or scorn, or worldly loss; and the reward is like that which was given to the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

We have no reason to suppose that this man's infirmity was the consequence of some particular sin, any more than that "those upon whom the tower of Siloam fell were sinners above the rest of the Galileans." Our Lord, therefore, used this expression, Thy sins be forgiven thee, to draw their attention to the origin of all evil,-" by sin came death;❞—and also to awaken their minds to the purpose of his coming into the world. "For whether was easier to say, thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, arise and walk?"

It produced the effect which might be pected.

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6. But there were certain of the Scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

7. Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

8. And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

9. Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy

bed and walk?

10. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11. I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

The scribes, therefore, and other byestanders, are not censured for inquiring, Who can forgive sins but God only? It would have been well, if men had never usurped this power to themselves, or if others had not credulously conceded it to them. But the design of Jesus was to awaken their attention to the fact, that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins. If he could say to the paralytic man, Arise and walk, God must be with him, and therefore God was equally with him when he said, Thy sins be forgiven thee. So ought they to have reasoned among themselves, and to have come to him, not only for the relief of their bodily infirmities, but for eternal life. It does not appear that they did so; they were all amazed, and glorified God. This was a natural impulse, the effect of the miracle which they had seen, and cost them little. To admire the power of God, and even to acknowledge his goodness, is a very different thing from repentance or obedience. Our business is to glorify God, and show forth his praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives.

13. And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

14. And as he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alpheus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him; Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

15. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with

Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they fol lowed him.

16. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

17. When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent

ance.

Levi, or Matthew, was a publican. Such an influence attended the words which Jesus said unto him, Follow me, that immediately he arose and followed him. Afterwards Jesus was in the house of his new disciple, and many publicans and sinners sat at meat with him. The scribes and Pharisees, being ignorant of his motives, thought this strange in a preacher of righteousness. "Behold a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!" This drew forth a reply which explains his design in coming into the world. He came to call sinners to repentance. He came as a physician, to heal those that were sick. And therefore to blame him for conversing with sinners, was like blaming a physician for entering a hospital. If men are whole, they have no need of a physician. And if the world had not been lost in sin, it would have stood in no need of a Saviour. "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

We must not, therefore, suppose that this sentence makes a distinction between the righteous, as if they needed no repentance, no redemption, and the sinner who needs both. But we must interpret it, as declaring the purpose for which Christ Jesus

came into the world. Because "the Scripture has concluded all under sin ;" and except for Him, their "sin remaineth" upon all. None are righteous, but those whom he has brought into the way of righteousness. All must be called to repentance, except those who have already repented, and committed themselves to him who is our "advocate

with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins."

LECTURE LXXVIII.

REASONS FOR THE DISCIPLES NOT KEEPING

FASTS.

INSTITUTION AND PURPOSE OF THE SABBATH.

MARK ii. 18-28.

Matt. ix.
Luke v.

18. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast and they come and say unto him, Why do the dis- 14-17. ciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples 33-39. fast not?

19. And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

20. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

21. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up, taketh away from the old, amd the rent is made worse.

22. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be pul into new bottles.

As the Pharisees expected that the teacher of righteousness should keep apart from publicans and sinners: so they also expected that his disciples would be punctual in all those practices, to which they had attached an idea of sanctity. John was "a man of God:" "all counted him for a prophet." And his disciples observed days of fasting. The Pharisees fasted "twice in the week." Why did the disciples of Jesus fast not?

For this there were good reasons. Fasting was a part of mourning. And the time of mourning was not yet come. The religion was new: that of the Pharisees was old, and ready to vanish

away.

His disciples were weak in the faith and no more fit to support the severity of self denial, than old bottles to bear the fermentation of new wine.'

23. And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

2

1 These verses are more fully treated in Matt. ix.

2 See on Matt xii. 1-4.

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