162 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of our BLESSED, LORD me, all ye workers of iniquity. There?hall be weeping and gnafhing of teeth, when ye fhall fee Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you youfelves thruji out. And they fhall come from the eaft, andfrom the we, and from the north, and front the fouth, and fhall fit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are loft which ?hall be fir/t, and there arefief whichfhall be loft. Soon after our bleffed Saviour had deli- vered thefe fentiments, fome of the Pha- rifees thinking to intimidate him, and caufe him to depart out of the country, came to him and pretended that Herod had a de- fign againft his life. It is not likely that Herod, who had fuffered fo much remorfe on account ofhis having put John the Bap- tiff to death, fhould fo foon attempt the life of one whofe works declared him to be a greater prophet ; perhaps, that princemight with Jesus to depart out of his territories, though he durit not ufe force againft him nor is it unlikely that the Pharifees were defirousof his departure out of the country, becaufe his difcourfes tended to expofe their hypocrify, and leffen them in the opinion of the people. The anfwerwhich our great Redeemer made to this meftage, is con- tained in the followingwords: Goye, and tell that fox, Behold, Icall out devils, and I do cures to -day and to-morrow, and the third day Ifliall be perfeted. Neverthelfs I mull walk to-day, and to-morrow, and the dayfollowing; for it cannot be, that a pro- phet perk out of ,7erufalem. Having returned this anfwer to the Pha- rifees, and confidering the treatment which the prophets had met with from the inha- bitants of Jerufalem, andwell-knowing the wickednefs of that unbelieving city, and their defigns againft his life, he pathetically lamented their obftinacy and perverfenefs, and the terrible defolation whichwould foon overtake them for their fins : 0 ,7erufalem, ,7erufalem, laid he, which kille the pro- phets, and /lonelt them that are lent unto thee; howoften would I have gathered they. 2 children together, as 'a hen gathereth her brood tinder her wings, and ye would not ! Behold,your houfe is left unto you defolate and verily Ifay unto you, Yefhall not fee rite, until the time come, when ye fhall fay, Bleed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. One of the chief of the Pharifees, loon after our Lord had made this pathetic ex- clamation,' invited him to his houfe to take a repaft: Jesus well knew, that this invi- tation did not proceed from hearty good- will; but, as he never fhunned an oppor- tunity ofdoing good, even to his moft im- placable enemies, he thought fit to accept it. It was the Sabbath-day, and when he had entered the Pharifee's houfe, a man was brought before him who was difeafed with a dropfy. The Pharifees well knew the benevolent difpofition ofour great Re- deemer, and they thought fo miferable an ob¡er would not fail of exciting his com- panion, and caufe him to work a miracle on that day, which would give them the opportunity of accufing himas a prophaner of the Sabbath. Jesus, who knew the fe cret thoughts of their hearts, aiked the Pharifees and lawyers, Whether it was law- ful to heal on the Sabbath-day? But they refufing to give any anfwer to the queflion, our Lord laid his hand on the difeafed perfon, and immediately his body was reduced to it's former dimenfons, and his health and ftrength returned. So kind, fo falutary and benevolent, as well as wonderful an a&ion, ought to have con- vinced the Pharifees, that the perfon who wrought it muft be endowed with power from on high, as no lets than the mighty power of God could produce fach events; or if they could fuppofe that wicked agénts had the power, this is not the way in which they might be expelled to exert it : but thefe hypocritical wretches, in- ffead of being perfuaded that Jesus was fent from God, and exerted his miracu- lous powers for the good of mankind, were labouring to turn this miracle to his difadvantage. But our Lord foon put an end
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