Matthew 9

Then Christ's spouse puts off her mourning. How can the children of the bride chamber mourn, when the bridegroom shall be with them (Matthew 9:15)? Thus death gives a believer his Quietus est; it frees him from sin and trouble.

How could these divine titles be given to Christ? Omnipotence (Hebrews 1:3), ubiquity (Matthew 28:20), a power of sealing pardons (Matthew 9:6), coequality with God the Father, both in power and dignity (John 5:21, 23) — how, I say, could these titles of honor be ascribed to Chr…

2. The same royal prerogatives which belong to God the Father belong also to Christ. (1.) Does God the Father seal pardons, this is a flower of Christ's crown (Matthew 9:2). Your sins be forgiven you.

1. It makes way for temporal good things. 1. It brings health, when Christ said to the palsy man, "Your sins are forgiven," this made way for a bodily cure, "Arise, take up your bed and walk" (Matthew 9:6). The pardon of his sin made way for the healing of his palsy.

The Spirit is upon him on purpose (Isaiah 61:1-3) to open the prison to them that are bound, shut up in this dungeon; to appoint to them that mourn, beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He is the physician and has underta…

We must labor to give assent to God's promises when we pray, and strive against doubting and unbelief. Lord, I believe, Lord help my unbelief (Matthew 9:11). Why are you cast down, my soul, and why are you disquieted in me? (Psalm 42:11).

But we hold and teach that to prescribe the time of a religious fast is in the liberty of the Church and the governors thereof, as special occasion shall be offered. When the disciples of John asked Christ why they and the Pharisees fast often but his disciples fasted not, he an…

Secondly God in making promise of salvation respects not men's worthiness. For he chose us to life everlasting when we were not: he redeemed us from death being enemies: and entitles us to the promise of salvation, if we acknowledge ourselves to be sinners (Matthew 9); if we lab…

2. It's a good token of saving faith, when it has a discovery and holy suspicion of unbelief attending on it, so that the person dare not so trust and rely on his own faith, as not to dread unbelief, and to tell Christ of it. There is a poor man that comes to Christ (Matthew 9:2…

Christ is a convincing thing, and invincibly binds reason: so the forlorn Son, before he returns to his Father, argues (Luke 15:17), My Father has bread, he gives it to servants, and I am a starving son; therefore I'll return to my Father; and the wise Merchant must discourse (M…

(3.) They buy and sell you [in non-Latin alphabet] with decked up and well kammed fair words. O our Redeemer that bought us, our Saviour! O free grace! O free redemption! as Libertines now do, and yet they that deny sanctification, deny Christ who in their profession bought them…

Be fully satisfied of this in your judgment and mind, that unless you have Christ, you have no life, and therefore mourn and pray. "The whole need not the physician but those that are sick" (Matthew 9:12-13). See yourself a sinner and a perishing creature unless Christ seek you…

I answer again, that Abraham believed not only the power of God (Romans 4:21), but also his will, which he had revealed in the promise, In your seed all the nations of the earth, shall be blessed. Secondly, it is alleged, that Christ in the curing of certain blind men, required…

Touching the first; It may seem, that some among the Galatians were of the Pharisees' mind, who thought they were bound to love their friends, but not their enemies; or of this persuasion that they were not bound in conscience to do good to the heathen among whom they lived, as…

Ans. I answer, that they still keep their order and dignity: but by these of the second, which Christ strictly requires, and upon which he also insists, the hypocrisy of hypocrites is chiefly discovered, so as a man may more plainly discern thereby whether the true fear of God b…

But in the miracles showed in the healing of men's bodies, Christ manifested a plain proof of that power he had to heal the sicknesses of their souls. This healing then whereof Saint Matthew speaks, extended further than to their bodies: for he was ordained a physician of souls…

But in the mean while, the most part of men do but trifle and dally with God, and labor to satisfy him with pretty gauds and toys. Isaiah therefore condemns and detests such a hypocrisy; and teaches that the Lord rather requires mercy of us, than sacrifices (Hosea 6:7; Matthew 9…

Matthew 9:1-8 1. And entering into a ship, he passed over, and came into his own city.

Matthew 9:14-17 14. Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, For what reason do we and the Pharisees fast often, while your disciples do not fast?

Matthew 9:18-22 18. While he was speaking these things to them, a certain ruler came, and worshipped him,

Matthew 9:23-26 23. And when Jesus came into the house of the ruler, and saw the musicians and the multitude making a noise, 24. He says to them, Withdraw: for the young woman is not dead, but sleeps: and they ridiculed him.

34. But the Pharisees said, He casts out devils by the prince of the devils. Matthew 9:27. And while Jesus was departing. The other Evangelists say nothing about these two miracles; for, as we have already said, and as John expressly affirms, (John 21:25,) they did not intend to…

Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, to send forth laborers into his harvest. Matthew 9:35. And Jesus went about This statement is made by way of anticipating an objection, and is intended to inform us that the whole ministry of Christ is not minutely described: for he was…

Matthew 9:9-13 9. And Jesus, passing on, saw a man sitting at the custom-house, named Matthew, and says to him, Follow me.

It is not improbable that this may have been his leading motive for adopting the plan of a Harmony, instead of writing a separate Commentary on each Gospel. He had made some observations on Matthew 9:34, But the Pharisees said, He casts out devils by the prince of the devils; an…

Such also is the import of that statement, that the fields are white, and are in want of reapers, (John 4:35;) and again, that the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few, (Matthew 9:37.) But here the comparison is applied in a different manner; for those who occupy a plac…

For I desired Mercy, and not Sacrifice. Which seems to have been a Text much delighted in by our Saviour, by his Manner of citing it once and again; Matthew 9. 13. and 12. 7. Zeal is also spoken of, as a very essential Part of the Religion of true Saints.

If we look over the Scriptures that speak of evangelical repentance, we shall presently see that repentance is to be understood in this sense, as meaning conversion. Matthew 9:13: 'I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' Luke 13:3: 'Except you repent, yo…

So those mourners used to awake early in the morning, or rather to awaken the morning; and they had one woman whom they called (Praefica) the leader, the first or the chief of the choir and company of mourners (plangendi Magistra) whose office it was to call up and bring on the…

But this condition imports, that we must exercise mercy towards our brethren, and so breake off the course of our sinnes, if we looke for mercie at Gods hands. Now the words here used are comparatiue, betokening a likelihood and similitude betweene Gods forgiuing and ours: which…

Fourth, to show the necessity of that ordinance. And fifth, the respect people ought to have to them, who are over them in the Lord: no flock needs a shepherd more than a congregation needs a minister, people without laborers, being like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36),…

1. The subject thereof is to hold forth the mutual and interchangeable exercise, and out-lettings of love, as well between Christ and particular believers, as between him and the Church: As also, his various dispensations to the Bride, her diverse conditions and tempers, and bot…

For until a sinner be thoroughly convinced of his guilt and misery, and his conscience awakened by the threats and terrors of the law, that he stands forfeited to the justice of God, liable to eternal wrath, and may every moment be swallowed up in the abyss of woe and torments,…

It frequently happens, that works of necessity, and mercy, will not permit us to be employed in works of piety, nor to sanctify the Sabbath after such a manner, as else we ought: for the Lord requires mercy rather than sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). And this our Saviour alleges (Matthew…

Nor did Christ work miracles as the apostles did, who wrought them all in the name of Christ; but he wrought them in his own name, and by his own authority and will: Thus, saith he, "I will be thou clean," Matthew 8:3. And in the same strain he put the question, "Believe ye that…

Or by whom shall they be gathered? It made the bowels of Christ yearn within him, when he looked upon the scattered multitude that had no shepherd (Matthew 9:36). What an easy conquest does the devil now make of them?

And that they may recover themselves out of the Snare of the Devil, who are taken Captive by him at his Will. And another thing that I would humbly recommend to those that love the Lord Jesus Christ, and would advance his kingdom, is a good attendance to that excellent rule of p…

The ground of this and other like cases is that rule laid down by the Prophets, and by Christ himself, namely I will have mercy and not sacrifice. If God in case of mercy dispenses with a duty due to himself, will he not much more dispense with a duty due to a husband (Hosea 6:6…

If he had found him sensible of his Guilt and his Imperfections, then most probably the compassionate Jesus would have preached to him the pardoning Grace of the Gospel, which he came to offer to those who repent of Sin, and believe in the Saviour. But when he heard the vain Inq…

But to answer some objections that may arise. Objection 1. It is said, (Matthew 9:6) The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. I answer; that is brought there, as an argument of his Godhead.

(2.) For external helps; we should pray, that God would give us pastors after his own heart. Pray to the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest: men that will discharge their duty with all faithfulness, men whose hearts are set to the building up…

We can have no true cure for our sorrow, till we be exempted from the fear of the wrath of God; do that once, and the heart of sorrow and misery is broken: others may steal a little peace when conscience is laid asleep, but not solid comfort till sin be pardoned (Isaiah 40:1-2):…

A flat dead way of praying suits their taste better. Christ compares the duties of the Gospel, fasting, with prayer in the Spirit, to new wine, which will break old bottles (Matthew 9:17), but the duties of the Pharisees, to old, dead and insipid wine, there is no life in them.…

So when Christ called Zaccheus, he made haste, and came down from the tree, and received him joyfully (Luke 19:6). So Christ to Matthew: follow me, and immediately he followed him (Matthew 9:9). Julian the Apostate scoffs at these passages, as if it were irrational to conceive s…

Mercy relents towards a sinful people, when they are a wasted people: he hears the moans of the beasts, and therefore certainly he will not shut up his bowels against the cries of his people: their very misery pleads for them. Secondly, the broken hearted that have a sense of th…

1. His condition is represented by the similitude of a bottle in the smoke, alluding therein to a bottle of skin, such as the Jews used: As in Spain their wine is put into Borachos, or bags made of hog-skins, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] in Homer; in a vessel or bottle of a goat-…

1. Repent — Jesus Christ came to call sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:12-13). 'Twas one of the errands he came into the world about; repent then not only for, but from dead works (Hebrews 6:1).

And (4) this doctrine of God our Savior, or the Gospel doctrine, does suppose man a sinner: it is a faithful saying, (and worthy of the best and all acceptance and reception) that Christ Jesus came into the world (on this very errand and design) to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).…

A man sensible of sin, and not of pardon, can hardly sleep or take any rest; but when the joyful sound of a pardon is proclaimed and received, the soul justified by faith has peace with God and within himself, and is at rest. Though the sick of the palsy was not cured, yet he ha…

And none but the God of all grace, rich in mercy, can remit and forgive? And which forgiveness argues him to be a God of great love, rich in mercy, etc., or else sin could not be forgiven, it being easier to heal diseases, etc., than to forgive sins, as our Savior tells us (Matt…