Hereby ye fhew forth the Lord's Death till he come: i. e. till Chrift come to judge the World, 1 Cor. xi. 24-26.

SECT. VII. Remarkable Occurrences in the Life of CHRIST.

69QWHAT other remarkable Occurrences

are recorded in the Life of Christ befides thofe that have been mentioned? A. These that follow, (viz.)

1. When Jefus Chrift healed the Servant of the Centurion at Capernaum, he only fent a Message of healing by his Mafter, without going near him himfelf, to fhew that he had Power over Diseases at a Distance, and could command them to depart, Mat. viii. 5-13.

2. When he caft many Devils out of the Man of Gadara, who lived among the Tombs, the De vils asked Leave to enter into a Herd of Swine; and when Jefus permitted them, they drove the Herd of Swine down a steep Place into the Sea, and drowned them: Upon which, the People defired Chrift to depart out of their Coasts, Mark v. 1-17.

3. When Jefus healed the Man of the Palfy at Nazareth his own City, he forgave his Sins, and then cured his Diftemper, as a Proof of his Power to forgive Sin, Mat. ix. 1-8.

4. When the Woman came to be cured of her bleeding with a ftrong Belief of his Power and Mercy, the only touched the Hem of his Garment, and Jefus pronounced that her Faith had made her whole, Mat. ix. 20—22.

Ch. XXIII. 5. He went through a Corn-field with his Difciples on the Sabbath, and defended them in their plucking of Ears of Corn, and rubbing, and eating, from the Accufation of the Pharifees, who pretended this was a Breach of the Sabbath, Mat. xii. 1-8.

6. When the Jews demanded a Sign of him, he refused to give him any but the Sign of the Prophet Jonah, that as Jonah was three Days and Nights in the Whale's Belly, fo the Son of Man fhould be three Days and Nights in the Grave, Mat xii. 38-40.

7. When he was told that his Mother and his Brethren ftood without, and wanted to speak with him, he took occafion to fay, that whosoever should do the Will of his Father, were indeed his neareft Relations, his Brother, his Sifter, and his Mother, Mat. xii. 46-50.

8. Though he wrought many Miracles in his Life, yet he wrought but few of them in his own. Country, because they defpifed him as the Son of a Carpenter, and would not believe on him, Mat. xiii. 54-58.

9. When Jefus walked upon the Water towards his Difciples in a Storm, he called Peter out of the Ship to walk upon the Water too, and reproved him for his Fearfulness and Unbelief when he began to fink, Mat. xiv. 24-32.

10. He commended Peter for his Confeffion of him as the Son of the living God, and promised to build his Church upon this Rock, this Confeffion of Peter: But prefently after he told his Difciples of his Sufferings and Death, and he reproved Peter feverely for wishing that Chrift might not fuffer and die, Mat. xvi. 16-23.

11. When

11. When Tribute-Money was required of him at Capernaum, he fent Peter to catch a Fish, and told him he should find Money in the Mouth of it, which he did, and paid it to those that gathered the Tax, Mat. xvii. 24-27.

12. When little Children were brought to him that he should touch them, his Difciples rebuked those that brought them: But Jefus took them in his Arms and bleffed them, and faid, Of such is the Kingdom of God, Mark x. 13-16.

13. When a rich young Man enquired of him what he should do to obtain eternal Life, he tried him by faying, Keep the Commandments, or do this and live; for the Man that doth them fall live by them: as Rom. x. 5. But when the young Man was fo confident of his own Righteoufnefs, and fo little fenfible of his Imperfections, as to reply, All thefe have I kept from my Youth: What do I lack more? Our Lord then put him to a further Trial, bid him fell what Eftate he had, give to the Poor, and follow him as one of his Difciples. At this the young Mant went away forrowful, because he had great Poffeffions: Whence Jefus took occafion to fay, It was hard for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Matth. xix. 16-24.

14. When James and John defired to be made chief in his Kingdom, and to fit on his Right-hand and on his Left, Jefus took occafion to fupprefs Ambition amongst all his Difciples, and faid, Whofoever will be chief amongst you, let him be your Servant; as the Son of Man came not to be ferved but to ferve, and to give his Life a Ranfom for many, Mat. xx. 20-28.

15. As he was travelling from Galilee to Jerufalem, Samaria lay in his Way; and when the Sa

maritans

maritans would not receive him, fome of his Difciples would call for Fire from Heaven upon them, as Elias did: But he feverely reproved them, that they knew not what manner of Spirit they were of, for the Son of Man came to fave Mens Lives, and not to destroy them, Luke ix. 51-56.

16. When our Saviour was entertained at Bethany, he gently reproved Martha for being too much cumbered with Care to entertain and feaft him, and commended her Sifter Mary, who fate at Jesus's Feet, and heard his Words: Mary bath chofen that good Part which shall not be taken away from her, Luke x. 38-42.

17. When Jefus raised Lazarus from the Dead, he went to the Grave in Company with Martha and Mary, his two Sifters, and feveral Jews: He bid them take away the Stone from the Mouth of the Cave, and prayed to his Father, and then commanded Lazarus to come forth, who had been dead four Days; and Lazarus obeyed him, and came forth, John xi.

18. The Jews ufed to travel on foot from Place to Place, yet when he went up to the laft Feaft at Jerufalem he rode into the City upon the Colt of an Afs, that the Prophecy of Zechariah might be fulfilled, Zech. ix. 9. and a great Multitude attended him as in Triumph, crying, Hofannah to the Son of David; fo that the Children learned the Song, and repeated it in the Temple, Matth. xxi. 1-6.

19. When he found in the Temple those that fold Oxen, and Sheep, and Doves, and the Changers of Money, he made a Scourge of fmall Cords, and drove them all out of the Temple, and overthrew the Tables, with the Money on them;

and

and faid, It is written, my House shall be the House of Payer, but ye have made it a of Thieves. And he went out of the City, and lodged that Night at Bethany, Matth. xxi. 12, 13,

17.

20. When he returned from Bethany, the next Morning he curfed a Fig-tree that had only Leaves, and no Fruit on it, to fhew the doom of fruitlefs Profeffors of Religion; and presently the Fig-tree withered away. This is faid to be the only Miracle of Deftruction that Jefus wrought, for all the reft were Miracles of Goodness, Matth. xxi. 17-20.

Conclufion of this Chapter.

70 Q. After we have heard this brief Account of the Tranfactions of the Life of Chrift, tell me what was the Sum of that Religion which Chrift taught. during his Life? A. It confifted chiefly in these few Articles.

1. He confirmed the Doctrine of the one true God, and the Revelation of his Mind and Will to Men by Mofes and the Prophets.

2. He explained the Moral Law, and enforced the Obfervance of it for ever; and fummed it up in fhort, in two great Commandments, viz. Love God with all your Heart, and love your Neighbour as your felf.

3. He continued the Obfervance of the Ceremonial Law for the prefent, i. e. wherefoever it did not interfere with the Duties of the Moral Law; but where it did interfere, he taught that the Moral Law was always to be preferred.

4. He required Repentance for Sin, and Faith in himself, as the great Prophet who came to re