10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

Observe here, Christ invited Matthew to a discipleship, Matthew invites Christ to a feast; the servant invites his Master, a sinner invites his Saviour. We do not find, wherever Christ was invited to any table, that he refused to go; if a Pharisee, if a publican invited, he constantly went: not for the pleasure of eating, but for the opportunity of conversing and doing good: Christ feasts us, when we feast him. From Matthew's example, learn, That new converts are full of affection towards Christ, and very expressive of their love unto him. Such as before conversion disesteemed him, do afterwards kindly and respectfully entertain him: Matthew, touched with a sense of Christ's rich love, makes him a royal feast. Observe farther, How at this feast many publicans and sinners were present, of Matthew's acquaintance no doubt, and probably invited by him, that they might also see Christ, and be partakers of the same grace with him. Whence we learn, That grace teaches a man to desire and seek the conversion of others; and such as are truly brought home to Christ themselves, will study and endeavour to bring in all their acquaintance to Christ also.

11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans

and sinners?

envy,

See here, what a grief it is to wicked men to find others brought in to Christ; the wicked Pharisees murmur, repine, and instead of admiring Christ's condescension, and adoring his divine goodness: they censure him for conversing with sinners; but Christ tells them in the following verses, that he conversed with them as their Physician, not as their Companion.

12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

As if our Lord had said, "With whom should the physician converse, but with his sick patients? Now I am come into the

world to do the office of a kind physician unto men; surely then I am to take all opportunities to help and heal them: they that are sick need the physician; but for you Pharisees, who are whole and well in your own opinion, and swelled with a conceit of your own righteousness, I have such as think themselves whole, desire no no hopes of doing any good upon you; for physician's help." Learn hence, 1. That sin is the soul's malady, its spiritual disease and sickness. 2. That Christ is the Physi cian appointed by God, for the cure and healing of this disease and malady. 3. That there are multitudes spiritually sick, who yet think themselves sound and whole. 3. That only such as are sensible of their spiritual sickness, are subjects capable of cure, and the persons whom Christ is a healing Physician to: They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment; for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and

the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

The Pharisees themselves had a contention with our Saviour in the foregoing verses; here they set on the disciples of John, to contend with him about fasting, alleging that the disciples of John fasted often, Christ's disciples not at all. Our Saviour owns it, that his disciples did not fast at present, for two reasons. 1. Because it was tolerable for them. It was unsuitable to them, because of Christ's bodily presence with them; this made it a time of joy and feasting, not of mourning and fasting: whilst Christ the Bridegroom is with them, they must feast and rejoice; when removed from them, there will be cause enough to

unsuitable to them. 2. Because it was in

fast and mourn. Christ is the bridegroom and his church the bride, which he has espoused and married to himself; and whilst his spouse did enjoy his bodily presence with her, it was a day of joy and rejoicing to her, and mourning and fasting was improper for her. Again, this discipline of fasting was at present intolerable for the disciples; for they were raw, green, and tender, and could no more bear the severities of religion at present, than an old garment could bear a piece of new stiff cloth to be set into it, which will make the rent worse, if the garment comes to a stretch; nor no more than old bottles can keep new wine. Thus, says Christ, my disciples are young and green, tender and weak, newly converted, they cannot bear the severer exercises of religion presently; but when I am ascended into heaven, I will send down my Holy Spirit, which shall enable them to do all the duties which the gospel enjoins. Hence we may gather, That young converts, till grown up to some consistency in grace, must not be put upon the severer exercises of religion; but handled with that tenderness and gentleness which becomes the mild and merciful dispensation of the gospel. Our Saviour here commends prudence to his ministers; that they put not their people upon duties beyond their strength, but consult their progress in christianity, and the proficiency they have made in religion, and treat them accordingly.

18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose and followed him, and so did his disciples.

Observe the humble posture in which this man came unto Christ, namely, falling at his foot and worshipping him; which was not only a sign of tender affection towards As daughter, but an evidence of his faith in our blessed Saviour; yet his confining Christ's power to his bodily presence and to the touch of his hand, was a token of the weakness of his faith: Come, says he, and lay thine hand upon her, and she shall live. As if Christ could not have cured her, without either coming to her, or laying his hand upon her. Note here, That although all that come to Christ are not alike strong in faith, yet our blessed Redeemer refuses none that come unto him with a sincere

faith, though in much weakness of faith. Jesus arose, and followed him.

20 (And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about; and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith had made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.)

While Christ is on his way to the ruler's house, a diseased woman comes behind him, touches his garment, and is instantly healed; the virtue lay, not in her finger, but in her faith; or rather in Christ, which her faith instrumentally drew forth. Observe here, How faith oft-times meets with a sweeter welcome than it could expect. This poor woman came to Christ trembling, but went away triumphing; Christ bids her be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole.

23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place; for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

25

Our Saviour being come to the ruler's house, finds the people very busy preparing for the interment of the dead corpse, with music and other solemnities. This custom of having music at funerals came from the heathens; no mention is made thereof in the Old Testament: we read of tearing the flesh, shaving the head, eating the bread of mourners, also of funeral songs, but these were only sung with the voice; but instruments of music at funerals came from the Pagans. Weeping and lamentation are the most proper funeral music; then nothing sounds so well as a sigh, nor is any thing so much in season as a tear: yet are all demonstrations of immoderate and excessive mourning both hurtful to the living and dishonourable to the dead; nor is it an

argument of more love, but an evidence of less grace. Observe next, In what sense our Saviour affirms, that the damsel was not dead. Mortua est vobis, mihi dormit, says St. Jerome; She is dead to you, but asleep to me: I can as easily raise her from death, as you can awake her out of sleep. Her soul was separated from her body, but not yet fixed in its eternal mansion. Souls departed are under the conduct of angels, good or bad, to their several places of bliss or misery. Probably the soul of this damsel was under the guard of angels near her dead body, waiting the pleasure of Christ in reference to it; either to restore it again to the body, or to translate it to its eternal mansion. Note here, That from these words of our Saviour, the maid is not dead, but sleepeth, the Jesuits plead for their doctrine of equivocations and mental reservations, alleging, that when Christ said, she is not dead, he reserved in his mind, in respect of my power. But the words of Christ were plainly spoken to those who were preparing for her interment and funeral rites, and accordingly only intimate, that she was not so dead as that they needed to make these preparations, he being come to awake her as out of sleep.

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ve that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened : and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in

all that country.

The ruler, and others who came to Christ for cure and healing, believed him to be a man unto whom Almighty God had communicated divine power. But it is observable, that these poor blind men did believe him to be the Messias, by their calling him the Son of David; and according to their faith, so was their success: their faith capacitated them for a cure. But why did our Lord enjoin the blind men silence, and

33 And

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

Still our Lord goes about doing good; before, he healed the diseased, here he helps the possessed. Learn, 1. That amongst the many calamities which sin has rendered human nature liable and obnoxious to, this is one, to be bodily possest by Satan. This man's dumbness was caused by the devil's possession. Learn, 2. That one demonstration of Christ's divine power, and a convincing evidence of his being truly and really God, was, his casting out devils by the word of his power.

34 But the Pharisees said, He of the devils. casteth out devils through the prince

See here the dreadful and sad effects of

blindness, obstinacy and malice; the Pharisees charge Christ with making a contract with the devil, affirming that he derived his power from him; but how unlikely was this, that Satan should lend our Saviour a power against himself, and for the destruction of his own kingdom? O how dangerous is a wilful and obstinate opposition of the truth! It provokes God to deliver a person up to final obduracy.

35 And Jesus went about all the

cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because were scattered they fainted, and

abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Observe here, 1. Our Saviour's great work and business in this world; it was doing good both to the bodies and souls of men; the most pleasant and delightful, the most happy and glorious work that a per