46 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of oser BLESSED places, could perform his mighty works without perfonally appearing at the place where the miracle was wrought: Jesus, therefore, difmiffed the father, with a de- claration that his fon was reftored to health, but refufed to accompany him to his city : Go thy way, faid he, thyfon liveth. The nobleman, not doubting the truth of what our Lord had declared, departed to his houfe ; but, before his arrival, he was met on the road by his fervants, who brought the joyful news, that his fon was perfeii.ly recovered. The father inquired at what time they perceived the firíi alter- ation in him ; the fervants replied, Ye/ler- day, at the feventh hour, the fever left him. By this, the' joyful father perceived, thathis fon recovered immediately as Jesus had fpoken the words, Thy fon liveth; and was fully convinced, that this cure was performed by the mighty power of God. This amazing inflame ofdivine power and goodnefs, fully convinced the nobleman, and all his family, not only that Jesus was a true prophet, but that he was the Meffiah, that great delivererofhis people, fo longexpeEled in the world. Some fhort time after this, Jesus de- parted from Cana, and went to Nazareth, the place where he had been brought up, and where he had dwelt till he entered -on his public minifiry. There, as had been his confiant cufiom, he went to the fynagogue on the Sabbath-day, and at- tended on the reading of the law and the prophets. After the paffagesappointed for the fervice of the day were read, Jesus took the book from the hand of the per- fon who officiated, and opened it on this celebrated predi&ion of the Meffiah, in the prophecy of Ifaiah, The fpirit of the Lord is upon me, becaufe he hath anointed me to preach the gofpel to the poor,- he hath fent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering offight to the blind, to fit at liberty them that are bruifed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 3 It is the opinion of fome learned and judicious commentators, that our Lord read this paffage in native Hebrew, which was then a dead language, and as it was known by his townfmen, that he was not learned, it excited their admiration, efpe- cially when he expounded it with fuch clearnefs of judgment, and beauty of ex- preffion ; and what the more raifed their aftonifhment, he applied it to himfelf: but, , as he had performed no miracles in their city, they feemed to beoffended ; perhaps, they imagined, that the place of his nati- vity fhould have claimed his firfi regard, and that his friends and townfmen fhould have been the objeEls of his peculiar care ; and as it appeared, that, with a word, he could heal the fick or difeafed at a difiance, it is very likely, they thought that there fhould not have been one fick, lame, or blind perfon at Nazareth. That they really entertained fuch fentiments as thefe, is plain from our Saviour's own words, Ye will furelyfay to me, Phyfician, heal thy- felf. whatever we have had done in Ca- pernaum, do alfo here in thy country. They feem to have hinted to our Lord, that it was unkind in him to heal the nobleman's fon at Capernaum, and take no notice of the fick and difeafed at Naza- reth ; which being the place of his nati- vity and refidence, fhould have been a larger fharer in his benevolence and care, than thofe cities which were unknown to him, and therefore could have no claim on his goodnefs. To this 'infinuation, our Lord thought fit to reply, by giving them an account of the conduE& of the two great prophets Elijah and Elilha, who were direéled by the God of Ifrael to exert thofe miraculous powers, which he had given them, in favour of Heathens, When many of the people of Ifrael flood in need of their affifiance : I tellyou of a truth, laid he, many widows were in Ifrael in the days of Elias, when the heaven was fhut up three years and fix months, when great famine was throughout all the land ; but unto none of them was Elias Pent, fave unto
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