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liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison fhall we compare it?

31 It is like a grain of mustard-feed, which when it is fown in the earth, is lefs than all the feeds

that be in the earth. 32 But when it is fown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and

fhooteth out great branches, fo that the fowls of the air may lodge under the fha dow of it.

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And by what Comparison fhall I re-
prefent it to you?

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31. It may fitly be compared to a Grain of Mustard-feed. For as Grain of Mustard-feed, when 'tis put into the Earth, is one of the smallest of Seeds: So the Doctrine of Chriftianity, at its firft Appearance, feems very little and inconfiderable.

32. But when this Grain of Must-
ard-feed grows up, it becomes one of the
biggest of Plants, fo as to shoot out into

a Tree: So the Doctrine of Chriftia-
nity will in time fpread incredibly;
and though it be now defpifed and
lightly efteemed by the Jews, yet here-
after it fhall be received and entertained
by the Gentiles through all the Nations
of the World.

33. Thus Jefus taught the Peo-
ple by way of Similitude or Compari-
fon, t obfcurely and by little and Not, as
little difcovering the Truth, as they many In-

were capable of bearing it. For if terpreters
he had declared the whole Truth ex- think, in
prefly, and plainly defcribed the Glory fie and in-
the most ea
and Majefty of his Kingdom, they
would all have been offended at it, Manner :
telligible
and none would have believed him: For that is
But by these Parables he now gave the inconfift-
fincereft Men amongst them obscure ent with
Hints of what in due time they should ver. 12.
fee clearly brought to pafs, and what
they should be afterward confirmed in
the Belief of, by the Remembrance of
thefe obfcure Representations.

34. Thus Jefus, I fay, taught the
People in Parables; expreffing the Si-
militudes only, without adding their
Explication. But when he was alone
with his Difciples, he explained every
thing to Them clearly and fully.
R 3
35. Now

35. Now when the * Evening was come, Jefus ordered his Difciples to row over the Lake.

36. Accordingly, as foon as the People was difmiffed, they carried him cross the Lake in the fame Boat out of which he had been preaching to the People: And fome other Boats alfo accompanied him.

37. And in their Paffage there came upon them a violent Storm, which made the Lake fo very rough, that the Waves beat into the Boat, and it was in great Danger of finking.

38. In the mean time Jefus lay afleep at the End of the Boat, and his Difciples ran to him in a great Fright, and awaked him, faying: Lord, we are just ready to be drowned; and can you fleep without taking notice of the Storm, or being at all concerned for our Prefervation?

39. Then Jefus rofe up, and with Authority commanded the Wind to fall, and the Water to be ftill; and the Words were no fooner out of his Mouth, but the Weather became prefently calm, and the Lake grew smooth and quiet.

40. Then turning about to his Difciples, he thus rebuked their Fearfulnefs and Diftruft: How is it, faith he, that after fo much Evidence of my Divine Power, and fo many Inftances as I have given of my tender Con

35 And the fame day when the even was come, he faith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other fide.

36 And when they had fent away the multitude, they took him even as he was

in the fhip,and there

were alfo with him

other little fhips.

37 And there arofe a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the fhip, fo that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part the fhip, afleep on a pillow: and they 2

of

a

wake him, and fay unto him, Mafter, careft thou not that

we perish?

39 And he arofe, the and rebuked wind, and faid unto ftill: and the wind the fea, Peace, be ceafed, and there was a great calm.

40 And he faid unto them, Why are ye fo fearful? how is it that you have no faith?

* Whether of the fame, or of fome other day wherein he had likewife been preaching, is not certain from the Words. For c Typ ixelry may here, (as well as in Matt. xiii. 1.) fignify no more than what St. Luke in the parallel Place expreffes by c

pa, Luc. viii. 22.

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cern for you, you can yet doubt either of
my Power or Care to preferve you?

41. At this Miracle the Difciples themselves were furprized, and the ** *Matt.viii Men of the Boat, and thofe in the † 27 other Boats were greatly aftonifhed, † Ver. 36. of this Ch. faying; How great is this Man, and how wonderful is his Power, that even the Winds and the Water thus obey him!

CHAP. V.

Heals a Bloody

Jefus difpoffeffes a Legion of Devils, ver. 1.
Raifes Jairus's Daughter, ver. 35.

flux, ver. 25.

AND they came

over unto the

other fide of the fea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

2And when he was

come out of the ship,
immediately there
met him out of the
tombs, a man with
an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his
dwelling among the
tombs, and no man
could bind him, no
no not with chains.

4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked afunder by him, and

the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

I.

WHEN Jefus had thus croffed

over the Lake, he landed in

the Country of the Gadarenes.

*

2. And as foon as he was come out of the Boat, there met him a Man* One of poffeffed with an evil Spirit; whofe the two Malice in tormenting the Man, the mention'd Providence of God directed and over- Matt. viii. ruled to be at this time an Occafion of 28. evidencing fefus's Power.

3. The Condition of this Man had been moft miferable: For the evil Spirit made him run wild in defert Places, and among the Sepulchres of the Dead; and he raged with fuch Fury and Strength, as that no Art or Force could tame him.

4. For Men had often attempted to bind him with Chains and Fetters; but he broke the Iron with ease, and tore in pieces the Chains like Thread, fo that nothing was able to hold him.

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6. This Man, I fay, spying Jefus afar off at his coming out of the Boat, ran to him and kneeled down and worfhipped him; the evil Spirit being compelled by the Divine Power, to acknowledge the Majesty and Authority of Jefus.

7. And the evil Spirit cried out aloud, faying; Wherefore, O thou Son of the Supreme God, art thou come to torment us before the Time appointed by God for our final Judgment? I befeech thee, for God's fake, compel us not to return to our Prifon.

8. (For Jefus had commanded him to come out of the Man.)

great

9. Then Jefus, to fhow how and from how many Enemies the Man's Deliverance was to be, asked the evil Spirit who he was. The Spirit anfwered, my Name is Legion; fignifying that there was a vaft Number of them in the Man at once.

10. And they importunately defired Jefus, that if he compelled them to come out of the Man, yet they might be permitted to continue fomewhere in that Country, and not be forced to return to their Chains of Darkness.

II. Now it happened that there was at that Inftant a great Herd of Swine feeding about the neighbouring Moun

tains.

12. The Devils therefore earnestly intreated Jefus, that if they might

5 And always. night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with ftones.

6 But when he faw Jefus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

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Jefus
leave. And the un-
clean spirits went
out, and entred into
the fwine, and the
herd ran violently
down a fteep place
into the fea, (they

two

were about thoufand) and were choked in the sea.

14 And they that fed the fwine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country, And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jefus, and fee him that was pof. feffed with the devil, and had the legion, fitting, and clothed, and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

16 And they that faw it, told them how it befel to him that was poffeffed with the devil, and alfo concerning the fwine.

17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their

Coafts.

no longer poffefs the Man, yet at leaft
they might be fuffered to enter into the
Swine.

*

13. This Requeft Jefus eafily The progranted; and the Devils accordingly bable Reacoming out of the Man, went into fons why the Swine: And the Effect of it was, he did fo, that the Swine, (which were a Herd of fee in the about Two Thoufand in Number) were presently hurried down a Preci- Matt. viii. pice into the Lake, and were drown

ed.

14. When the Keepers of the Swine faw this, they fled; and reported in the City and Country what Things they had feen, and what had befallen their Swine. And abundance of People came out to fee and be satisfied of the Truth of it.

15. And they came to the Place where Jefus was, and faw the Man fober and in his right Wits, whom they all knew to have been poffeffed with a Devil, and to have run about naked and mad: And they were convinced of the Truth of the Miracle, and astonished at the Power of Jesus.

16. For those that had been' prefent from the Beginning, and were Eye-witneffes of the whole Matter, told them all the particular Circumftances how the Man was healed and the Swine deftroyed.

17. They were therefore fully convinced of the Truth of the Miracle; But being more afraid of the Power of Jefus manifefted in the Destruction of the Swine, than pleafed with his Goodness in delivering the Man, they intreated him to depart out of their Country.

18. Jefus,

Note on

32.

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