desert place and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

CHAPTER V.

1 Christ teacheth the people out of Peter's ship: 4 in a miraculous taking of fishes, sheweth how he will make him and his partners fishers of men: 12 cleanseth the leper : 16 prayeth in the wilderness: 18 healeth one sick of the palsy: 27 calleth Matthew the publican: 29 eateth with sinners, as being the physician of souls: 34 foretelleth the fastings and afflictions of the apostles after his ascension: 36 and likeneth fainthearted and weak disciples to old bottles and worn garments.

1 AND it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

a Matt. iv. 18.

themselves, nor suffered those that would to enter in ;" and partly by turning into contempt a Messiah who did not even profess it to be his design to exalt the nation to power and dominion,—an objection to our Lord which the carnal ambition of the Jews greatly favoured,—and then by blunting the force of the evidence of his mission from miracles, among those not disposed to be convinced, by furnishing them with the diabolical sophism, that he cast out devils by the prince of devils, they succeeded, to a great extent, in destroying the effect both of the Baptist's and of our Lord's earliest ministry. Still great numbers were prepared for the Lord, who were afterwards gathered into the Christian church, as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles; and numbers more, no doubt, of whom we have no record.

CHAPTER V. Verse 2. Two ships, &c. -Two fishing vessels, either at anchor near the shore or aground. From these the fishermen had gone out, and were washing their nets, after an unsuccessful night's toil. One of the vessels belonged to Si

mon and Andrew, the other to James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who are called "partners with Simon." From Simon's vessel, our Lord, being pressed on shore by the eager crowd, addressed a discourse to the multitude, who had followed him ; and then directed Simon, Andrew also being with him, to launch forth into deep water, and let down their nets for a draught. We observe, 1. That Simon's objection, We have toiled all the night and have taken nothing, renders the subsequent miracle more unequivocal and illustrious, inasmuch as it shows that the fish did not then abound in that part of the sea, or kept themselves close in their haunts. 2. That Simon's letting down the net was an act of obedient faith: Nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net. 3. That the abundance marked by the net breaking, or rather, being on the point of breaking, and by the draught so filling both the vessels that they were ready to sink, or in danger of sinking, was an additional proof of the miraculous character of the event; for the very impression made upon Peter, who felt himself as in the presence

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

of Deity, and said, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord, proves that no ordinary event had happened, and that the draught was unparalleled and preternatural nor was he only astonished, but all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. They were seized with astonishment and awe, as the words signify. 4. The whole was symbolical, a mode of teaching by significant action; and when our Lord said to Simon, and through him to the other disciples, for such they already were, (see the note on Matt. iv. 18,) Fear not, for from henceforth thou shalt catch men, they understood its import. This they declared by forsaking all and following him, when they had brought their vessels to land: they knew that Christ now called them to the sacred office of instructing others in the way of salvation; and they gave up all to follow him, so that they might be trained up for it. Their occupation was indeed to be in the great waters of the world; their business, to catch men, that is, to make disciples of Christ; and their success was not only to be great but miraculous, and to be owing to the same divine

power working in the depths of the human heart which had wrought in the depths of the sea, and brought the fish into the net of the apostles. These great lessons were indeed afterwards more clearly comprehended; but even then the apostles felt their general impression; and, under the command of him who had appeared before them as arrayed with omnipotent power, controlling all nature, they finally went to their great enterprise, in faith and hope, launched out into the deep, and, at the bidding of their master, let down their net. With what success, the history of the world is witness.

Verse 4. Launch out, &c.-Exarayaye, a nautical term, which signifies to put off from shore.

Verse 5. Master, we have toiled, &c.— That Simon and the others were already disciples, though now for the first time in immediate attendance upon Christ, is indicated by the mode of address, ETIσтатα, master, teacher, equivalent to Rabbi.

Verse 8. Depart from me, &c.— The attitude of Peter, prostrate before the feet of Christ, and his words, imply that he

9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken :

10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

12 ¶And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

16 prayed.

And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and

b Matt. viii. 2.

had at the moment as full an impression of Christ's divinity, as Isaiah when he saw the glory of the Lord of Hosts in the temple, and exclaimed, "Woe is me, for I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips." The nearness of the divine presence, realized, so to speak, either in vision or thought, uniformly brings man's sinful character to his remembrance, and makes him feel that he cannot stand acquitted before infinite justice and purity. The impression is always one of guilty dread, till we are taught that there is "a new and living way" by which we may draw near to God, and God draw near to us, without danger. That way is the atonement of Christ; and we are conducted along it to the mercy-seat by the hand of faith. To make Peter in these words to desire

Christ merely to " 'go out of his ship," is a cold and powerless comment on a phrase which obviously carries with it a force far beyond the mere literal meaning.

Verse 10. Catch men. Several have shown that both Hebrew and Greek writers use terms taken from hunting and fishing, to signify the influence exerted by some on others, so as to attach them to their opinion or party. To catch men was to bring men to believe in Christ, to embrace his party, his people, in opposition to the world. The stress laid by some on the etymology of the word, which is, to catch alive in order to preserve, is fanciful. It is employed generally as a term of hunting or fishing.

Verse 12. A man full of leprosy.-See the notes on Matt. viii. 1, 2, &c

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judæa, and Jerusalem and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

18 ¶And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?

24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thine house.

25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

c Matt. ix. 2.

Verse 17. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.-Not the Pharisees and doctors just mentioned, for they were there only as objectors and calumniators, as appears in the following verses; but the sick persons of the place, Capernaum, where we learn from Mark he then was. Pronouns often refer to the remoter noun. The power of the Lord is the power of Christ; so that the evangelist evidently regarded the miraculous

power of Christ as inherent IN HIMSELF, which is the grand distinction between him, and the most highly endowed of his servants. To be present to heal, is a mode of expressing the present exercise of power. That wondrous virtue which he possessed he exerted in healing many sick persons on that occasion.

Verse 18-25. A man taken with the palsy. See the notes on Matt ix. 2, &c., and Mark ii. 4, &c.

26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

27¶ And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom : and he said unto him, Follow me.

28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

d Matt. ix. 9.