21. Another, who had already followed Jefus and was his Disciple, faid unto him: Lord, I will continue to be your Difciple and Follower; only fuffer me to go home, and perform the laft Rites of my Father's Funeral, and fet in order his Family and Eftate. 22. But Jefus answered him: you have forfaken all your earthly Relations and Fortunes,to become a Preacher of Righteousness; and if your Heart look back to a. ny of thofe temporal Things, you are not worthy of this facred Miniftry. No; Do you continue to follow me ; and let others, who have not taken upon them this holy Office, take care to bury their own Dead. 23. By this time the Difciples had provided Jefus a Boat, and he went into it together with his Dif ciples. 24. And as they were rowing over the Lake, a great ftorm of Wind arofe, fo that the Water grew rough, rough, and the Billows beat into the Boat. But Jefus himself was asleep. 25. And the Disciples ran to him in a great right, and waked him, faying Lord, help us, we are just finking. 26. But Jefus defigning to inure them to bear all hardships couragioufly and without fear, answered: O ye fearful and diftruftful Men! Have ye thus long heard my Doctrine and seen my Miracles, and dare ye not yet truft your felves to the Providence of God? However, he rose up, and commanded the winds to ceafe, and the Waters of the Lake to be ftill; and there was fuddenly a very great Calm. 27. At which both the Men of the Boat, and the Disciples themselves were exceedingly furprized, fay ing, How great is this Man? and how extraordinary is his Power? that even the Winds and the Waters obey him. 28. ¶ Now when Jefus had croffed the Lake, and was landed on the other fide in the Country of the Gergefenes, there met him two poffeffed Men, which ufed to wander in defart Places, and among the Tombs, and were fo exceeding ftrong that they could not be bound with any Chains, and fo fierce that no Man durft pass that way for fear of them, These Men by the especial Providence of God, met Jefus at his landing. 29. At the fight of whom, the Devils which poffeffed the Men, knowing and being terrified at his Divine Power and Vertue, cried out immediately; Wherefore, thou Son of the moft High God, art thou come to torment us, before the Time appointed by God for our final Judg 31. And when Jefus had commanded the Devils to come out of the Men, they begged leave of him to enter into the Herd of Swine. 32. And he * leave. gave them And they came out of the Men, and entred in to the Swine; and all the Swine ran headlong imme diately down a Precipice into the Lake, and were drowned. 33. At which the Keepers of the Swine, greatly terrified, fled presently into the City, and told what misfortune had befel their Swine, and how the two poffeffed Men were fuddenly cured and restored to their right Minds. * Whether our Saviour permitted this, to fhew the great power of evil Spirits, and how terrible the effects of their Malice would be upon Men, if they were not reftrained by God: Or whether it was to punish the Gergefenes for keeping thefe Beafts, which were a Snare and Ŏffence to the Jews, their Flesh not being permitted to be eaten: Or, for whatever other wife Reafon it was: Certain it is, that this is the only Miracle our Saviour wrought, where by any Man fuffered damage, |