and at the moment they were leaving the house (Matt. ix, 32) he is recorded to have healed a dumb man: which characteristic miracle excites (together with the cavils of the Pharisees) the natural exclamation on the part of the people, "It never was so seen in Israel.”

Instead of continuing where he had, by this time, attracted so much attention, we find that he retired to the town where he was brought up; the place where his reputation was the least established. To assist him in instructing the multitudes who followed him, we find him repeating his mission of twelve persons, chosen from among his more immediate disciples; and, on this occasion, in the course of an address which throughout warns them of their future sufferings, we meet

repeated appeals under this title, undeterred by the. opposition of those about them; and the readiness with which one of them at least (Mark x, 50) rose up when commanded to come to Him, leaving his garment, or cloak, behind him; yet our Lord does not perform the cure till He had expressly asked them what they desired; their natural answer showing that they believed Him capable of so great a miracle, as that of restoring to them their sight; Matt. xx, 32, 33; and the corresponding places of St. Luke and St. Mark.

f I follow the Harmony I have mentioned, in this, as in other particulars; though I am by no means satisfied that the arrangement, in this instance is the best. It makes no difference to my argument.

with the first distinct intimation of the manner of his own death in these remarkable words: "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me:" an expression which is afterwards more than once repeated by him.

On this declaration I would remark,

1st. That it is incidental; coming in connection with a lengthened statement of the dangers to which those whom Jesus was addressing would be exposed, in consequence of their adherence to him; and, consequently, that whatever may be its value as a prediction, it is so exceedingly obliques, and so completely subordinate to other topics, that it cannot be suspected of ostentatiously assuming the character of prophecy.

2dly. That it was said after the second Pass

It is so oblique that it requires a little reasoning to show that we may fairly consider it a prediction of any thing relating to Himself.

Our Lord is teaching His disciples how to suffer by His example, and showing them by what had already happened to Him, that they should be prepared to suffer: "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord." Matt. x, 24, 25.

In conformity with this principle, our Lord warns them to take up (spiritually) that suffering which He himself should undergo; thus virtually predicting His own peculiar death.

over; and, therefore, a year and some months before the event predicted took place.

Sdly, That it announced an event in itself extremely improbable, and at that time and in that place especially so; for crucifixion was a punishment used by the Romans, with whom at that time Jesus had in no degree been embroiled, his enemies being the hierarchy of the Jews; who were likely to expose him to a very different death; and he was then in a country remote from the Roman jurisdiction, under the authority of Herod, whose subject he was".

Neither had he, before the miracle of feeding the multitude, drawn from those who followed hini any symptoms of attachment to his cause which could have been construed into revolt; and thereby have exposed him to any chance of punishment on the part of the Romans.

About this time John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod, who is stated to have been, presently after, discomposed by the reports which he heard of the miracles of Jesus. In consequence of this event1, or of the return of his disciples from their

h Luke xxiii, 7.

i St. Matt. (xiv, 13) appears to refer our Lord's departure to the news of John Baptist's death. St. Mark (vi, 30, 31) to the return of the Apostles, and the concourse of the multitude. St. Luke also seems to assign it to the first of these two causes. Chap. ix, 10.

mission and the crowding together of the multitude, who did not give them time to take necessary refreshment, he retires to a less frequented spot'. Here he is stated to have fed miraculously the multitude that had followed him, even against his will; and immediately after he adopts the singular plan (for the leader of a party) of withdrawing himself from them: Matt. xiv, 22, 23; "And straightway (after the miracle recorded) Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone."

The reason for this conduct is given by St. John, and only by him; "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by

k Mark vi, 31; "They are obliged to go away privately." See above, p. 19, note d.

1 There appears to exist a critical difficulty respecting the places, at this point of the History, with which I will not trouble the reader of the present treatise. All accounts describe our Lord as having retired to a solitary place: Matt. xiv, 13, 15; Mark vi, 31, 32, 35; Luke ix, 10, 12; John vi, 3; (" And Jesus went up into a mountain”). The same appears in all the narratives from the difficulty they found with respect to provisions, and the distance from which those present declared they should have to bring them.

force, and make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. And when even was come, his disciples went down unto the sea, and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum." Chap. vi, 15, 16, 17TM.

That they went away privately appears also from verses 22, 24, 25; "The day following, whent the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples are entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone, etc. When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?"

Now we may remark that if the blind impulse of the multitude to constitute Jesus their chief or king had been indulged by him, one of two events must have followed:

1. Either they must have succeeded in setting. him above the possibility of any punishment for

m It is worth while to observe the verse preceding these: "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle which Jesus did, said, This is of truth that prophet that should come into the world."