A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Part 1 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
THough there be many Miraculous Deed and Words of our bleſſed Meſſiah before-mentioned becauſe the order of plane required the mentioning of them; yet as to Order of Time, they muſt thus be Ranked and barely Repeated here, Referring the Reader to the Remarks upon them in the foregoing Chapters: This is their Order of Time as follows.
1ſt. Christ wrought his First Miracle in Cana of Galilee, where He turned Water into Wine, after he bad whip…d …u… the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple, under the Firſt of his Paſſovers.
2dly. His Conferences with Nathaniel, with Nicodemus and with the Woman of Samaria, &c. full all alſo in Christs first year.
3dly. The Baptist Impriſonment hapned before Jacob's Well-Conference; but after it was Christ's Preaching at Nazareth, where He was in danger of his Life, but eſcaped by a Miracle.
4thly. From thence he went to Cana again, where He be…led the Son of a Noble Man. (belonging into King Herod) lying deſperately ſick of a Fever at Capernaum, only with a word of his Mouth, Job. 4.45, 46, &c.
5thly. Then went he … Capernaum, where he caſt out a Devil in their Synagogue, healed Peter's Wives Mother, and many more Diſeaſed as is aforeſaid.
6thly. Next follows the healing of a Leper, mentioned Mark 1.40, &c. Luke 5. 12▪ &c. and Mai 8.2, 3, 4. which is the ſame Story with the other Two Evangeliſts. Becauſe this hath not yet been ſpoke to, take theſe few Remarks upon it.
The Firſt Remark is▪ The Plague of Leproſie was moſt rife and prevalent in our Saviour's time; God ſo ordained it that J…dea was ſickeſt, when her Phyſician was neareſt, The Jews are generally a naſty People, and Leproſie ſeems to have been their proper Diſeaſe, (as Plica Polonica, Morbus Gallicus, & Sudor Anglicus, &c.) hence ſome ſay they were forbid Swines Fleſh, becauſe Swine are Leprous Creatures, and their Fleſh eaſily corrupts in diſeaſed Bodies and turns to Ill Humours, whereby that people (who are ſo naturally ſubject to the Leproſie) would be more and more Infeſted and Infected.
The Second Remark is. The Levitical Prieſthood could only judge of the Leproſie, but could not heal the Malady; this was reſerved for our great High Prieſt, who was not of Aoron's, but of Melohiſedeok's Order. Lepers were not allowed to come into Cities, till the Prieſts had pronounced them clean, when the danger of Infection was over, yet the Leproſie continued ſtill (which is a very pregnant Emblem of Original Sin) the Prieſts Abſolution did only reſtore him to Humane Society: whether this Letter was thus abſolved, is unknown. This is only known, that he ſtrained Courteſie (however) to come to Chriſt in a City, Luke 5.12.
The Third Remark is The Diſeaſe of the Body God oft moſt graciouſly maketh the coring and healing Salve and Salvation of the Soul: As here in this Leper, who came and worſhipped Chriſt; which haply be would hardly ever have done, had it not been for his Leproſie. Ambroſe, ſaith, Morbi ſunt virtutum Officina, Diſeaſes are the Shop of Virtues. And our King Alfred found himſelf the beſt (he ſaid) when he was the worſt, and therefore prayed, that, when Sin was like to prevail againſt his Soul, God would ſend ſome ſickneſs upon his Body. Thus holy David declared how God in his faithfulneſs had afflicted him, Pſal. 119.75. as if he had ſaid [Lord, thou hadſt not been faithful to my Soul, unleſs thou had ſo and ſo afflicted my Body.] 'Tis the ſick, not the whole or ſound, that ſeeks to the Phyſitian, Mat. 9.12, 13. ſenſible Sinners only ſeek out and are capable of cure and comfort.
The Fourth Remark is, True faith in coming to Chriſt for cure, muſt not doubt of either his Power, or his Will to help, or of his Care concerning us. All our Doubts are reducible to one of theſe three Heads; We are queſtioning either Divine Sufficiency, or Clemency, or Providence.
1ſt. The Father of the poſſeſſed Child queſtioned the ſufficiency of Chriſt's Power, ſaying [If thou canſt do any thing, help us] Mark 9.22. his Faith had its tincture of Ʋnbelief, ver. 24.
2dly. This Leper queſtioned the Clemency, Candour and Kindneſs of Chriſt's Will▪ ſaying, [If thou wilt, thou canſt, &c.] Mark 1.41. Luke 5.12. and Mat. 8.2. He granted his Almighty Power, but doubts of his Good Will to him.
3dly. There is the Diſciples Doubt (as well as that of the Father, and of the Leper) who queſtioned the Care of Chriſt concerning them in the way of his Providence, under a dreadful Storm, ſaying, [Maſter careſt thou not, that we periſh?] Mark 4.38. Where their Fear weakned their Faith, but did not nullifie it; Chriſt calls them Pettifidians, but not Nullifidians for it, [Oh ye of Little Faith;] Faith is Faith, and owned by Chriſt, though never ſo little of it. N.B. Note Well, yet aſſuredly, we never doubt of Chriſt's Will to do us good; but in ſome degree we doubt alſo of his Power, and of his Care and Providence: They are ſo linked together, 'tis a weak not a ſtrong Faith that doubts in any of them.
The Fifth Remark is, 'Tis a wonderful Vouchſafement and kind Condeſcenſion in Chriſt, to put forth his Touches of Love to ſuch Leprous Perſons as we. To touch a Leper made a perſon unclean by the Levitical Law, yet Chriſt puts forth his Hand and toucheth this Leper, and with his Touch healed him. Oh that we could learn from this Caper to found our Prayers upon the Power of God (ſeeing we have the fretting Leproſ… …f Sin upon us▪ and need healing, &c.) This is the beſt way to ſpeed, Chriſt is ready to gratifie his Supplicants, yea, to be commanded by them, Iſa. 45.11. and to …ay [I will, be thou clean,] and that word was an Healing Deed here: As Christ is touched with our Infirmities, Heb. 4.15. ſo hath he his Touch to heal them. 'Tis his Infinite Goodneſs that he will touch our Menstruous Clouts, and take at our Hands our polluted performances: The High-Prieſts might enter the Leper's Houſe, and Chriſt's tooth here is not contactus Contagionis, ſed Sanationis, &c. a Touch that Pollutes not the Toucher, but Purifies the Touched.
The Sixth Remark is, Receit of Mercy from God requireth Returns of Duty to God. Thus Chriſt inſtructeth this Healed Leper. Though Chriſt (as to himſelf) diſdained popular applauſe (accounting it no better than a little ſtinking breath) for this Miraculous Cure, yet doth he preſcribe the cured Man's Duty, which was twofold.
1. Go ſhew thy ſelf to the Prieſt, Mark 1.44. for a Teſtimony againſt them, whoſe malicious Mouths have ſlandered me, that I came to Deſtroy the Law, &c. let them ſee, that Jehovah the Phyſician (Exod. 15.26.) hath been with thee, and that the Son of Righteouſneſs with Healing in his Wings, (Mal. 4.2.) hath ſhone upon thee, I have made thee clean to thy Self, (which the Prieſt could not do for thee;) now let the Prieſt pronounce thee clean to the Congregation.
2. Offer the Gift, &c. Levit. 14.4, to 14. which intimates that the Healed muſt have an Hearing Ear, an Active Hand, and Feet ready to run God's Errands. We ſhould pay our Pepper-Corn to God, who is content that we have the benefit of …is favours, ſo he may have the glory of them. And not Lepers only, but all ſorts, after ſickneſs, were bound to offer to God the Ranſome of their Lives, Exod. 21.…0. and 30.12. Hezekiah made a Song, and left it to Poſterity for a Seal of his Thankfulneſs▪ Iſa. 38. per totum. And the blind Heathens upon their Recovery would conſecrate ſomething to their Gods called [Teraphim] from [foreign] to heal Man, and to ſerve God: which teaches us what to do in caſe of Cure: But alas how many make Vows while Sick, which they quite forget, when Well, as the Italian Proverb is [Sciopato il Morbo, fraudato il Santo] ſick Men recovered, deal with God as ſhipwrack'd Men eſcaped, who promiſe much during their Danger, but perform little after Deliverance; as he did, who Vowed to the Virgin a Picture of Wax as big as St. Chriſtopher, but eſcaping to Shore, put her off with a farthing Tallow-Candle, and that came hardly too. This is a curſed kind of Cozenage, Mal. 1.14.
Then next to the Healing of this Leper falls out in order of Time (which Mark … Luke exactly obſerve more than Mathew) the healing of the Palſie-man, Mark 2.3, to 15. Luke 5.18, to 29. and Mat. 9.2, to 10. Remarks upon it are theſe.
1ſt. This Paralytick was brought by his Friends and Relations to Chriſt for Cure. N. B. Note Well, This labour of Love ſhould we ſhow to our Sin-ſick-friends, bring them to the Ordinances, and preſent them before this Almighty Phyſician, as Iſa. 66.20.
2dly. This Palſie-man was born of four like a Dead Corps, which is an Emblem that Chriſtleſs Creatures are but Living Ghoſts, Walking Sepulchers, &c.
3dly. As they pull'd off the Tiling to come at Chriſt, ſo ſhould we remove all Obſtacles that hinder our Selves and our Relations from Chriſt's Cure, &c.
4thly, When Chriſt Sees our Faith (which he moſtly Eyeth) by our works, (as he did here) He will ſay, Be of good chear, and well may they be ſo whoſe Sins are Pardoned: Our Sickneſs ſhould mind us of our Sins, that we may be healed on both ſides.