and found the colt tyed by the dore without in a place where two ways met and they loose him 5. And certain of them that stood there said unto them What do ye loosing the colt 6. And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded and they let them goe 7. And they brought the colt to Jesus and cast their garments on him and he sate upon him Paraphrase 7. See Note on cap. 5. a. 8. And many spread their garments in the ways and others cut down branches of trees and strewed them in the way 9. And they that went before and they that followed cryed saying Hosanna blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Paraphrase 9. the Messias whose coming is prohecyed of and so long expected See Note on Mat. 11. a. and Mat. 21. 9. 10. Blessed be the kingdome of our father David that cometh in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Paraphrase 10. that kingdome of David our father or of Christ typified by him which hath been prophecyed of and expected as future and is now ready to begin we acknowledge thee O Lord in the highest heavens See Note on Mat. 21. a. 11. And Jesus entred into Jerusalem and into the Temple and when he had looked round about upon all things and now the even tide was come he went out unto Bethany with the twelve Paraphrase 11. having cured the lame c. Mat. 21. 14. c. at even he retired to Bethany to lodge there with his disciples 12. And on the morrow when they were come from Bethany he was hungry 13. And seeing a figtree afarre off having leaves he came if haply he might find any thing thereon and when he came to it he found nothing but leaves for the time of figs was note a not yet 14. And Jesus answered and said unto it No man eat frult of thee hereafter for ever And his disciples heard it Paraphrase 13 14. And being so he espied afar off a figtree full of leaves and went to see if there were any fruit on it and when he came he found no one fig nor any thing but leaves on it the year being it seems unseasonable for that fruit and therefore being willing to shew a miracle on a fruitlesse tree which had nothing but leaves to be destroyed by his curse he said unto it This tree shall never bear more fruit but shall wither and dry up presently Which sentence of Christ if it be applyed as an embleme to men that bear no fruit it will then signifie that they which professe piety which is answerable to bearing of leaves must never be found without fruit If they be Christ will visit them and subtraction of grace and destruction will be their portion the one following upon the other as the instant withering here upon the word of Christ But the most pregnant meaning of it is that the Jews which were just like that leafy tree without any kind of degree of fruit on it as this time when Christ came from heaven to call for it should suddainly be destroyed 15. And they come to Jerusalem and Jesus went into the temple and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money-changers and the seats of them that sold doves Paraphrase 15. in the court of the Gentiles which the Jews were more willing to profane see Note b. and overturned the tables c See Note on Mat. 21. b. 16. And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple 17. And he taught saying unto them Is it not written My house shall be called note b of all nations The house of prayer but ye have made it a den of thieves Paraphrase 17. shall be an holy place set apart for all the people of the world to worship me in but you have tranformed it into a receptacle for cheats to reside in See Note on Mat. 21. c. 18. And the Scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy him for they feared him because all the people was astonished at his doctrine Paraphrase 18. for resolving nto to be instructed or reformed by him not to receive the reformation brought from heaven they were yet afraid that something would come of it derogatory to their authority for the whole multitude of men that heard him look'd on him with admiration 19. And when even was come he went out of the city 20. And in the morning as they passed by they saw the fig tree dryed up from the roots Paraphrase 20. went again from Bethany to Jerusalem Mat. 21. 20. 21. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him Master behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away 22. And Jesus answering saith unto them Have faith in God Paraphrase 22. to the disciples Beleive in God 23. For verily I say unto you that whosoever shall say unto this mountain Be removed and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart but shall beleive that those things which he saith shall come to passe he shall have whatsoever he saith Paraphrase 23. For I have given that power to you that if any of you in the fear of God with full confidence of faith without all mixture of doubting shall set upon any the greatest difficulty though as great as the removing of a mountain and assuredly beleive that through the strength and power of God in Christ it shall be done 〈◊〉 shall doe whatsoever he will 24. Therefore I say unto you What things soever ye desire when ye pray beleive that ye receive them and ye shall have them Paraphrase 24. This is to be undertaken by you not upon confidence of your own strength but by humble prayer to God and whatsoever you shall thus pray for beleiving that I will according to my promise grant it to you that ye shall be sure to receive from me 25. And when ye stand praying forgive if ye have ought against any that your father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses Paraphrase 25. But for the obtaining this certain return to your prayers the other conditions which have formerly been required see Mat. 6. 14. to make mens prayers effectual must be observed by you Namely that whensoever you pray for any thing to be granted you by God you put all malice from you and be filled with all charity even to your enemies that God may in like manner deale with you 26. But if you doe not forgive neither will your father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses Paraphrase 26. And if you doe not so there is no expectation that any prayer of yours whether for pardon of sin or any thing else shall be heard and granted by God 27. And they come again to Jerusalem and as he was walking in the temple there come to him the chief Priests and the Scribes and the Elders
the iota or title mentioned before c. he shall be least in the kingdome of God that is indeed shall not be admitted at all which by this figure is thus express'd in relation to what went before He shall be the least as he breaks the least without which that would not have been the style in all likelyhood Thus Isai 65. 11. Yee are they that furnish the drink offering to that number Therefore will I number you to the sword c. Thus Mat. 12. 50. upon mention of his mother and brethren seeking him which was literally true of Mary c. Christs reply is in another not a literall sense Whosoever doth the will of my father the same is my brother and sister and mother So 1 Cor. 8. 2. speaking of the knowing of God in the vulgar ordinary sense of knowing he adds v. 3. but if any man love God he is known of God in another notion of knowledge for approbation and in the same kind again Gal. 4. 9. Now after ye have known God or rather are known of God and Rom. 14. 13. Let us no longer judge one another that is censure separate from communion but rather judge this quite in another sense as Judging signifies thinking fit and resolving and Rev. 22. 18 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man shall adde to these things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God shall adde to him the plagues c. and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man shall take away God shall take away his part out of the book of life Agreeable to these is this phrase here on mention of the dead father preceding Let the dead bury the dead but follow thou me that is not let the dead but let others do that office interre the dead but thou that art a consecrated person must do that to which thou art consecrated which in all probability if it were not a proverbiall speech known among them was yet the imitation of some other proverb as Like to like the living to the living the dead to the dead c. which are not always to be required to the literall sound of the words wherein they are express'd V. 28. Tombs 'T was usuall for the Devils to abide in tombs to confirm in men that vain perswasion of the souls of men after Death being turn'd into Devils see Hieron Magius miscellan l. 4. c. 12. and for divers other ends for which the solitude of such places was advantagious to them none using to come thither but to bury their dead V. 30. Swine That there were Swine among the Gadarens contrary to the Jewish customes will not bee strange when 't is remembred that Gadara is by Josephus numbred among the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grecian Cities which Pompey took away from the Jews see Is. Causab ad Baron p. 219. and that the greatest part of the inhabitants were Syrians not Jews by the affirmation of the same Josephus l. 2. de Bello Judai c. 33. See Constant l' Empereur de legibus p. 181. CHAP. IX 1. AND he entred into a ship and passed over and came into his own city Paraphrase 1. Capernaum where he now dwelt v. 7. and Mar. 1. 21 45. and c. 2. 1. and to which he removed from Nazareth Mat. 4. 13. 2. And behold they brought to him a man sick of the palsie lying upon a bed and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsie Son be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee Paraphrase 2. By this extraordinary course of bringing the sick man discerning the great vigor of their faith 3. And behold certain of the Scribes said note a within themselves This man blasphemeth Paraphrase 3. Either in their hearts or in private discourse one with another not heard by him or his disciples 4. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts Paraphrase 4. And Jesus by his divine power as searcher of hearts discerning whither their thoughts or words whispered among themselves and not spoken audibly said unto them Why doe you passe such malicious causelesse censures 5. For whether is easier to say Thy sins be forgiven thee or to say Arise and walk Paraphrase 5. Be cured of thy palsie and walk about 6. But that ye may know that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins Then saith he to the sick of the palsie Arise take up thy bed and go unto thy house Paraphrase 6. That Christ in this state of exinanition hath authority to forgive sins here to men that lie under punishment of them and consequently to deliver from their bond those that were deliver'd up to Satan and so tormented by him This power given to Christ on earth in the commission received from his Father v. 8. to be from this time continued on the earth and accordingly committed by Christ at his departure to the Apostles Joh. 20. and in them to their successors that what they forgive on earth should be forgiven in heaven and the bonds loosed 7. And he arose and departed to his house 8. But when the multitudes saw it they marvelled and glorified God which had given such power unto men Paraphrase 8. were amazed to see it and acknowledged it an incomprehensible mercy of God to send a Prophet to them with such a commission power of pardoning sin and that testified by doing an absolute miracle v. 6. 9. And as Jesus passed forth from thence he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the note b receit of custome and he saith unto him Follow me And he arose and followed him Paraphrase 9. a tole-gather or Publican by trade busie about his work and upon Christs first word of command or call he left his trade and attended him as his constant disciple 10. And it came to passe as Jesus sate at meat in the house behold many note c publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his Disciples Paraphrase 10. And this new disciple of his made him a feast Mar. 2. 14. and that a great one Lu. 5. 27. though Matthew being the Writer of this Gospel affirm it not of himself And as Jesus was at that feast in Matthews house many other Publicans such as Matthew had been who were looked upon by the Jewes as the vilest sort of men that no Jew was to eat or drink or converse with familiarly 11. And when the Pharisees saw it they said to his disciples Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners Paraphrase 11. Why doe your master and you Lu. 5. 30. a thing which is so unlawfull ear 12. But when Jesus heard that he said unto them They that be whole need not a Physitian but they that be sick Paraphrase 12. He raised his voice and directed it to the Pharisces that stood thus cavilling by and said 13. But goe ye and learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the
and the ruine of the house was great Paraphrase 49. But he that sinketh not down my precepts into his heart Annotations on Chap. VI. V. 1. Second Sabbath after the first This phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath been matter of trouble to Interpreters The most probable conjecture concerning it is that of the learned H. Grotius which I shall thus explain and confirme When any of the solemn yearly feasts fell on the Sabbath day that Sabbath had a speciall extraordinary respect attributed to it and was called sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great Sabbath and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great day of Sabbath Jo. 19. 31. Now three of these feasts there were the Passover Pentecost and the feast of Tabernacles Of these feasts some dayes there were dayes of holy assemblies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein the assemblies were called together as the first day of unleavened bread Lev. 23. 7. and the seventh day of it v. 8. the day of Pentecost Lev. 23. 21. the first of the feast of Tabernacles Lev. 23. 35. and the eighth v. 36. And these being dayes of rest as 't is appointed in every of those places were a kind of Sabbaths and distinguish'd from the other dayes of the feast and therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great day Is 1. 13. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great day of the feast Jo 7. 37. And accordingly Tertullian cont Marcion l. 5. speaking of the observation of dayes mentions jejunia dies magnos Fasts and great dayes But when any of these great dayes fell on the Sabbath too then that was not only a great day but a great Sabbath Now this great Sabbath was called also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prime or first Sabbath as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are all one and consequently three of these prime or great or first Sabbaths there were 1. When the Passover that is either of the great dayes of that feast but especially the first fell on a Sabbath and 2 ly when the day of Pentecost and 3 ly when the great day of the feast of Tabernacles fell on a Sabbath day and these prime or great Sabbaths were thus distinguish'd one from another The first of them call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first prime Sabbath i. e. when the first day of the feast of Passover fell upon a Sabbath day The second of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the second prime Sabbath that is the day of Pentecost falling on a Sabbath The third of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the third prime Sabbath that is the great â—ay of the feast of Tabernacles falling on a Sabbath of which Josephus saith that 't is then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Sabbath most adored or reverenced By all this appears that by this phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant on the day of Pentecost falling on a Sabbath at that time That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be all one as if it had been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appears to be according to Analogy by the like use of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used frequently by Josephus not as 't is conceived for the tithe of tithes payed by the Levites to the Priests but the second tithing which was sold and the price carried up to Jerusalem and spent in festivity there Tob. 1. 7. which in Tobit is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in two words the second tithing V. 12. Praier 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies an oratory a place where men are wont to pray and so seems to be used in some places of the Scripture especially in S. Lukes writings So Acts 16. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Syriack read ubi conspiciebatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where a house of prayer was seen a praying place by a river side as here on a mountain such an one there was in Mispah 1. Mac. 3. 46. where upon occasion of the victory gotten by Joshua in that place Jos 11. 3 8. they were wont to meet to pray and to deliberate on any great affair and there was an Altar built by Joshua and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an house of prayer or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an house consecrate for prayers which prayers and consecration being both made unto God it is very agreeable that those places so consecrated to him should be called as here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oratories or praying houses of God Of these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we find frequent mention in Josephus in his own life the people convened in a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they call it a house of prayer ample and capacious of great multitudes and speaking of Tiberias I found the people convened in a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Epiphan t. 2. l. 3. c. 80. There were ancient places of prayer both among the Jewes without the city and among the Samaritans as we find saith he in the Acts of the Apostles Such a place there is in Sichem which is now called Neapolis without the city in a plain region And some such place it may seem to be wherein Jesus coutinued all night in this verse V. 13. Apostles The title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostles which is here by Christ said to be given to the Twelve is a name of power and dignity and authority in the Church and how it doth signifie so will deserve to be explained That the Government of the Church of God was now setled on the son of man upon earth that is upon Christ incarnate had been foretold Is 9. 6. the Government shall be upon his shoulders and Is 61. 1. the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings c. he hath sent me to bind up c. to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord c. see Lu. 4. 18 21. In which place as the Anointing and the Spirit of the Lord being upon him so the sending is a setling the Government upon him And the sending is a solemn word noting a Diploma or Commission sealed to him as it were by God in heaven by the Spirits descending on him Mat. 3. 17. and that supplyed the place of the solemn unction the ceremony of advancing to any office which is therefore paraphrased by the Chaldee by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exaltation which was now out of fashion under the second Temple and was to be supplied by Gods testimony from Heaven as to Christ it was and is accordingly styled Gods anointing him with the holy Ghost Acts 10. 38. and simply Gods anointing Acts 4. 27. Hence it is that Christ is said to be sent by his Father Joh. 20. 21. to have power on earth to forgive sins Mat. 9. 6. to have all power in heaven and earth delivered to him Mat. 28. 18. to be the teacher and Lord of his Church or Disciples Joh. 13. 1. and as the High Priest of our profession so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
send thee Paraphrase 17. Making a speciall choice of thee out of all the Jews Gentiles and now giving thee commission to goe and preach the Gospel to them see c. 9. 15. 18. To open their eyes and to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgivenesse of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me Paraphrase 18. To shew them their duty to turn them from all their idolatrous sinfull to all gracious godly courses from being the slaves of the devil to be the servants of God thereby to have their sins forgiven and by believing in me to have an inheritance a future eternall blissfull portion among the saints of God 19. Whereupon O king Agrippa I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision Paraphrase 19. Upon this vision so glorious and these words of Christ from heaven I could not but yield 20. But shewed first unto them of Damascus and Hierusalem and throughout all the coasts of Judaea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and doe works meet for repentance Paraphrase 20. But preached at Damascus first then at Jerusalem then through all Judaea and even among the Gentiles the doctrine of repentance and amendment and necessity of bringing forth all fruits of new life in an eminent manner which indeed is the summe of the Gospel of Christ 21. For these things the Jewes caught me in the Temple and went about to kill me Paraphrase 21. And for this it was that I had like to have been killed by the Jewes as I was in the Temple 22. Having therefore obtained help of God I continue untill this day witnessing both to small and great saying none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come Paraphrase 22. But God rescued me and accordingly I goe on to doe this preaching nothing in effect but what is perfectly agreeable to the writings of Moses and the Prophets 23. That Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should shew light unto the people and to the Gentiles Paraphrase 23. That Christ should be put to death and that by his rising again from death both the Jewes and Gentiles should be brought to believe on him 24. And as he thus spake for himself Festus said with a loud voice Paul thou art beside thy self much learning doth make thee mad Paraphrase 24. thou talkest distractedly sure thy learning and high opinion of it hath put thee out of thy wits 25. But he said I am not mad most noble Festus but speak forth the words of truth and soberness Paraphrase 25. what I say is perfectly true and hath nothing of excesse or transportation in it 26. For the King knoweth of these things before whom also I speak freely for I am perswaded that none of these things are hidden from him for this thing was not done in a corner Paraphrase 26. Agrippa I am confident knowes it to be so and therefore I feare not his censure see Joh. 7. a. for these things the life death and resurrection of Christ were things of very publick cognizance and cannot be unknown to him that was a Jew born 27. King Agrippa Believest thou the Prophets I know that thou believest Paraphrase 27. What sayest thou Agrippa are not the Jewish Prophecies fulfilled in Christ Thou canst not but discern and acknowledge it 28. Then Agrippa said unto Paul Almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian Paraphrase 28. Thou dost in some degree perswade me that the Christian faith is the true 29. And Paul said I would to God that not onely thou but also all that heare me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am except these bonds Paraphrase 29. I heartily wish and pray for thine own sake that not only in a low but in an eminent degree both thou and all that are here present were as farre Christians as I am onely I would not wish them imprisoned as I am 30. And when he had thus spoken the King rose up and the Governour and Bernice and they that sate with them Paraphrase 30. King Agrippa and Festus and Bernice rose up from the place of judicature c. 25. 29. 31. And when they were gone aside they talked between themselves saying This man hath done note a nothing worthy of death or of bonds Paraphrase 31. The accusations brought against this man are not such as by the Roman Law are punishable capitally or by imprisonment the Emperors having not yet in the beginning of Nero made any edict against Christianity 32. Then said Agrippa unto Festus This man might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed unto Caesar Annotations on Chap. XXVI V. 31. Nothing worthy of death or The truth of this speech of King Agrippa and his company that Paul had done nothing worthy of death or bands depends on the consideration of the time wherein it was spoken For the Roman Magistrates judging by the Roman Lawes that which was not against any Law of the Emperors was not cognoscible or punishable especially by death or imprisonment deprivation of life or liberty by them Thus when Paul is accused by the Jewes and brought before the Proconsul of Achaia Gallio c. 18. he tels them plainly that he will not be a Judge of such matters which the Roman Law then in Claudius's reigne had said nothing of For though c. 18. 2. an Edict had been by Claudius toward the end of his reigne set out against the Jewes to banish them out of Italy c. and by that the Christian Jewes as Jewes not as Christians fell under that inderdict and so did Priscilla and Aquila there and John the Apostle banished into Patmus in Claudiu's reigne saith Epiphanius haer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet as to the difference betwixt Jewes and Christians there referr'd to by Gallio in proportion to the accusation brought against him by the Jewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a word as whether Jesus were the Messias or no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of names as whether the name Christian or disciple c. were unlawfull as those discriminated them from incredulous Jewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning the law in force among the Jewes about conversing with the uncircumcised c. there was then no Law set out by the Emperors at Rome and therefore no rule for the Proconsul to go by in taking cognizance of them And thus it continued till Nero's rage against the Christians began for that he first dedicated persecution is Tertullian's expression and Primum Neronem in hanc sectam gladio ferociisse Nero was the first that made any capitall Law against them Now this appearance of Paul before Agrippa was in the second of Nero's reigne Anno Ch. 57. long before this rage of his brake out and accordingly Paul had made his appeal to Caesars
while those extraordinary gifts remained in the Church for diseases to be cured and health restored to the sick without the use of any other means of physick c. where as the prayer of faith or calling the name of Christ over the sick was the means of curing the disease v. 15. and so Act. 3. 16. Christ's name hath made this man strong and the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundnesse so the ceremony whether of Oil or Imposition of hands was indifferently either used or not used by them In the Gospels many such cures are wrought without either and so in the Acts by taking by the hand by embracing c. 3. 7. c. 20. 10. and by his bare word ch 9. 34. and so again ver 40. and c. 14. 10. and c. 16. 18. and 19. 12. From whence it appears First to what end this Unction was used precisely to that of miraculous healing or recovering the sick to health and that not through any efficacy or virtue in the oil but directly the contrary as touching the eyes laying on the hands and saying the word were used none of which have any natural force in them nor were used on other designe then to demonstrate the miraculousnesse of the work which was wrought without any contribution of means Secondly that this usage as a bare ceremony was not instituted by Christ or any way commanded to be continued by the Apostles or their successors in the Church even while the gifts of healing did continue among them but was by the Apostles themselves very frequently omitted in their working of cures Thirdly for that use of unction or enoiling as a viand to those that depart out of the world there being nothing said of it here but on the contrary the whole use of it in order to the recovering of the sick there is no colour of ground for asserting it nor obligation to the use of it to be met with in the New Testament and therefore allowing it to be a bare ceremony or a signe of our spiritual cure it is strange how it should come to be esteemed a Sacrament and that distinguished from Absolution on the sick bed and as such be deemed necessary to all that depart out of this world and used to them only when it is thought certain that they will dy and all this meerly on the authority of this one place where it is designed on purpose to the recovering of the sick person Fourthly that even in order to the recovering of the sick it is not now a ceremony of any propriety or fitnesse for use the gift of miraculous healing being not now pretended to in the Church and therefore this ceremony which was then sometimes attendant on that gift and was adjoined to the exercise of it on purpose to shew that it was clearly a gift operating without natural means to which end the unefficaciousnesse of unction was very proper must long since cease to have any propriety Mean while the other parts of S. James's direction here to the sick are very worthy observing in order to our present practice that they should call for the Elders of the Church that those Elders should pray over or for them and that in the name of our Lord Jesus that if the sick have upon examination been found guilty of any sinne or sinnes which may probably have brought that admonition from heaven that sicknesse upon him he confess them to God and if they be trespasses against a brother confesse them to the injured person and desire his reconciliation also and in either case approve the sincerity of his resolution contrition and change of mind to the Elder or spiritual person who may be deemed in many respects more likely to passe a right judgment on it then he can on himself and by his office is rendred most fit to be thus intrusted and employed and then lastly that upon a due performance of all this and upon a due preparation of the patient and expression of his sincere desire of it the Absolution of the Church should be afforded him And as this may be a very proper method to be used for the obtaining the peace of God and of real comfort to the true penitent soul so may it now by the blessing of God in case the disease was sent for such correction be a most probable means together with the skilful directions and applications of the Physician and a patient submission to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to recover the diseased and to qualifie him to receive benefit by the Physician and to partake of the promise here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord shall raise him up when he in wisdome and mercy shall see that fittest for him and the like may be said of all other afflictions For as certainly as God hath the disposing of the world every particular disease that befalls any is sent by him and from him comes with some commission whether to remove out of this world or to exercise patience or to mortifie sin or to call to reformation and if the latter be it as I think I may truly say most commonly it is and it is most safe to suspect and examine alwaies whether it be not so then nothing can more contribute to the remove of this evil then to take away the cause of it and to perform that work for which it was sent according to what we find in the cures wrought by Christ that the forgiving of the patient's sinnes Son thy sinnes are forgiven thee is the ordinary preface to his recovery And so Ecclus 2. 11. before God's releasing or delivering in time of tribulation there is first his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remitting of sins as 2 Mac. 3. when Heliodorus had been scourged for his sacrilegious enterprize and the high priest offered sacrifice for his recovery v. 32. the Priest is said to have made an atonement and God thereupon to have granted him life v. 33. And so in Hezekiah's sicknesse when the Prophet is sent unto him this is the method of his recovery And accordingly the son of Syrach counsels Ecclus 38. 9. My son in thy sicknesse be not negligent but pray unto the Lord and he will make thee whole Leave off from sin and order thy hands aright and cleanse thy heart from all wickednesse Give a sweet savour and a memorial of fine flower and make a fat offering as one that is to dy Then give place to the Physician for the Lord hath created him There is a time when in their hands there is good successe And why may not this be that time which I now mention The errors of the Romish practice in this point are very sufficiently provided against by our Bishops in the dayes of Henry the Eighth in their book set out by the King and intituled A necessary Doctrine and Erudition for any Christian man upon the head of Extreme Unction It is agreeably the grave and sober conclusion of