Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 36 · Chapter 9
CAP. IX.
ANd Jesus seeing the faith both of the palsied man,2 And Iesus seeing their faith, said unto the sicke of the palsie: Bee of good cheare, thy sinnes be forgiven thee. and of those that brought him, said unto the sicke of the palsie: Sonne, be of good cheere, thou art comne hither, in desire and confidence of cure, I will give thee more than thou askest; thou commest hither for the recovery of thy bodily health, I give thee (besides that) an happy restitution to a good estate of soule; thy palsie is healed, thy sinnes (the cause of this evill) are forgiven thee.
6 But that yee may know that the Sonne of man hath power on earth to forgive sinnes: then saith he to the sicke of the palsie: Arise, take up thy bed, and goe unto thine house.Ye know well, that no finite power can forgive sinne, which is an offence of an infinite Majestie; onelyonly therefore an infinite power can remit it: and now that yee may know the Sonne of man hath this power in his hand, I will demonstrate it to you, by this miraculous effect; None but an infinite power can so farre transcend nature, as by a meere command, instantly to restore legges and strength to this impotent man; you shall now see it done by me. Then saith he to the sicke of the palsie; Arise, take up thy bed and goe to thine house.
9 Sitting at the receit of custome.Sitting in the Tole-booth of the Publicans, to gather up the rents, and taxes that the Jewes were to pay unto the Romanes; their masters.
10 Behold many Publicanes and sinners came & sate downe with him and his disciples.Many Publicans and persons that had beene noted for infamous, and knowne offenders, as consorting together (being abandoned by their neighbours in a conceit of the unlawfulnesse of their conversation) came, and sate downe with him, and his Disciples.
13 I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.See Hosea 6. vers. 6.
For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.I come not to call them that are just, and righteous in their owne conceit; but those that are convinced in themselves of their owne sinfulnesse, those am I comne to call home to me, by a true and hearty repentance: as for those other, how can they be capable of repentance and conversion, when they thinke they have done nothing worthy to be repented of.
15 And Iesus said unto them, Can the children of the Brid-chamber mourne as long as the bridegroome is with them: But the daies wil come, when the Bridegroome shall bee taken from them, and then shall they fast.There is a time for all things; there are times of feasting, and times of mourning and abstinence; marriage feasts are of all other wont to be times of mirth, and jollity. Looke then how unproper it would bee for the Bride-men that attend the wedding to fast, whiles the Bridegroome is celebrating his marriage, with great cheare, and mirth; so unfit would it be for my disciples to fast and mourne, whiles I, their master and Saviour, am personally present with them; but as when the wedding feast is over, and the Bridegroome is gone, the guests may then give place to fasting, and sad austerity, and it is seasonable so to doe; even so shall my Disciples, when I am taken from them, finde it meete to mourne, and humble themselves by fasting, and such like bodily exercises.
There must be great wisedome and discretion in making choice of those things,16. 17 No man putteth a peece of new cloth unto an old garmēt; for that which is put in, to fill it up, taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse: neither do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles breake, and the wine runneth out, and bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. which are fit to be imposed upon severall persons; that which is meet for one, is not meet for another; my Disciples are like unto a cloth, or a bottle; an austere course of life is like to a new rough cloath, or to new wine, that is full of strong and busie spirits. Now looke how unmeet, and dangerous it is to peece a new cloath to an old, or to put new wine into an old crasie caske (for hence the rent in the garment growes greater, and the wine breaking the caske is spilt and lost:) so unfit & inconvenient it might be, to put my disciples (which are yet but novices in this holy profession, they have undertaken) to overstrict, and difficult, and severe courses; which afterwards upon better experience, and more seasoning they may be fit for.
He saw the minstrels that were wont to be hired for funerall lamentations,23 Hee saw the minstrels, and the people making a noise. and the people also with much noise expressing their sorrow.
The maid is not in such a state of death,24 For the maid is not dead, but sleepeth; and they laughed him to scorne. as under which shee shall continue, but she shall be so soone revived, as if shee had onelyonly stept for a while, and were now to be awaked; and when ye shall see her presently to be raised up, and move, ye will be ready to imagine it was no other, &c.
Here is a great and plentious harvest towards,37 The harvest truely is plenteous; but the labourers are few. of many soules, that are to be gathered into the barnes, and granaries of the Church, and of heaven; but the labourers and teachers, by whose painfull ministrie they are to be gathered in, are but few.