upon a right ground, when it is written is a full answer to all temptations, and all objections.

-And, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.God now sent him a supply for his hunger, and there was comfort in it.

Ver. 12. Now when John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee-From the wilderness of Judea, where he had been tempted. John's imprisonment was so far from discouraging him, that it was the signal for his entering upon action.

Ver. 13. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum-A place of great resort, and a populous part of the country. But there was a further reason for it, viz. to show us how a prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled.

Ver. 16. The people which sat in darkness, saw great light, &c.-Believe it against the world, and against all the suggestions of your own hearts. Christ is a great light, and without it we are in darkness, and in the region and shadow of death. Depend upon it, we have no light of our own to guide us into the knowledge and love of God, his pardon and peace here, or glory hereafter. And if this is not darkness, what is? Away with your vain excuses. Search the Scriptures, with prayer for a blessing. Christ's light is sweet now, wanted by all, and freely offered to all; but it will be terrible to your souls, if you never see it till you come to be judged by it.

Ver. 17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say,-Jesus! the great Preacher from heaven! He could not be mistaken in what he says. Be all attention. Begin with him, and follow him throughout this Gospel. And may he be with us in the grace and power of his Spirit!

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.-So Christ's forerunner, John Baptist, said; so Christ himself says; and so all his faithful ministers must, and will say, to the world's end. The kingdom of heaven, the grace and pardon of it, as they are not offered, so they cannot be welcome to any but those who are so convinced of the deadly nature of all sin, and of the reality of their

own, as to long for deliverance from it. Have you no desire of Christ and his blessings, from a sense of your undone state? Talk no more of your baptism and Christian name, your good deeds, or shining accomplishments; the kingdom of heaven is not yet come to you.

men.

Ver. 19. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of - If they followed him, not else. He can make me so to you. The very words, if it pleases God, may catch you. Think for yourselves; think what they imply: if you are not caught in the net of the Gospel, you perish. Are you in it? Doubtless many of you think so. But ask yourselves, why you think so, and whether you have been brought into it with the free consent of your wills? And this, with the help of God, may bring on a discovery of your state.

Ver. 20. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And so will I, says the awakened man, though with the loss of all; and I pray God stir me up to it effectually.

Ver. 23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. What he taught was not confined to that time and place. Blessed be God, we have it here before us, and he is now present with us in his word and the power of his Spirit.

And preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. -The way and means of being received into God's kingdom of grace here, and heaven hereafter. O! let Christ preach you into it. God forbid that death should find you out

of it. You know you must repent, upon the peril of your souls. But that is not the Gospel, or glad tidings of the kingdom. If you should ask, What then? I answer, God's peace to perishing sinners, and love to us in Christ Jesus.

-And healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people. Is not this the very person we all want? You will hear in this Gospel of many of his miraculous cures: but to what end, if they do not convince you of his power and will to heal you, and bring you to him for help in your own case? Be not therefore deceived. You are by nature sick of a deadly distemper. Sin is a worse plague than any that can befal your bodies; and the removal of that was the great business for which he came into the world.

Ver. 24. And his fame went throughout all Syria.-It is gone out into all lands, and by the great mercy of God to us come hither also. You are often hearing of the fame of the all-healing, all-saving Jesus; to your un.speakable benefit, if you would only come to him as the Physician of your souls.

-And they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments.-So, if he was now here, there would be great striving who should come to him first with their bodily diseases. But his chief concern was not for the bodies of men; he had a higher aim in all he did, viz. to cure them and us of an evil heart and evil nature; which is a sickness we all have, and the worst we can have, the cause of all our other sicknesses, and of all the unhappiness that is in the world; and if Christ does not relieve us from it, it will never have an end.

And those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them all.-Before, it was said, he healed all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease; and now. St.

Matthew makes particular mention of some which were the most incurable by human means. Fear not; thine is not above his skill, though thou wilt be apt to think so in the distress of thy soul.

Ver. 25. And there followed him great multitudes.— Whatever they followed him for, he knew what they wanted, as you will find in the three next chapters. Let us beseech God that we may follow him in his heavenly instructions, with earnest attention, a deep sense of our own blindness, and full submission to his authority.

LECTURE.

My friends, I fear the history of our Lord goes on faster than we follow it. We have heard of his being the Son of David, and the seed promised to Abraham, in whom all nations of the earth should be blessed; of his conception by the Holy Ghost, and birth of a virgin; of salvation by the name Jesus, and of his being Immanuel, God with us; of the wise men coming from a far country, by the miraculous guidance of a star, to worship him; and of other circumstances, which, according to prophecy, attended his birth; of the preparation for his kingdom by the ministry of John Baptist; and of his being baptized himself, not only to authorize the ordinance, but to undertake, what he alone could, and needed not to do but for our sakes, to fulfil all righteousness. Let us endeavour to keep pace with Scripture.

In this chapter the great enemy of our souls is discovered to us, with the manner in which he usually tempts us, by spying his advantage, and suiting himself to the particular circumstances of want or distress we may be in. And we are also instructed how to withstand his assaults, and defeat all his designs against us. Christ,

our example, resisted and overcame him with his knowledge of Scripture, and by opposing the command and will of God to every temptation. So may we, if we are well grounded in the belief of Scripture, have it ready upon all occasions, and resolve to be governed by it. Let me, therefore, once more earnestly exhort you to the study of God's word, to rejoice in the light of it, and to depend upon it, in conjunction with the Spirit, who always accompanies the serious desire of being guided by it, as your best security against the wiles of your subtle adversary, the devil, and the various trials you will be sure to meet with in your Christian warfare.

St. Paul tells us, 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17. That "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Every one, therefore, who aspires to the high and holy title of man of God, every one who would please God, and be an heir of salvation, takes care above all things to be well furnished with the word of God, both in his head and heart. He knows the Scripture to be his guide to heaven, given by inspiration of God for that purpose; and that neglect and ignorance of it is like shutting himself up in a dark room, or putting out his eyes, when the sun shines around him. Whether you ever take that blessed book into your hands or not, you know best. Perhaps, you may read a little of it now and then, supposing it to be a duty, and to quiet conscience. But what would you do, if it taught you an infallible way to thrive and grow rich in the world? Would you not read it carefully to learn that method? And would you think the bare reading of it enough? Would you not also think it necessary to understand the directions it gave you, and reduce them to practice? It is easy to make the application. If you do not read the