PART ARTICLE V. Refurrection of the daughter of the ruler of the fynagogue, preceded by the cure of a woman only by touching the hem of Chrift's garment. Certainty of both miracles. WHEN Jefus, after having delivered the poffeffed from a legion of devils (whom we have already spoke of) paffed over from the country of the Gergefenes to the other fide by the fea of Tiberias. " A ruler of the "fynagogue, Jairus by name, fought him, "and when he faw him, he fell at his feet: and he befought him greatly, faying, My "little daughter lieth at the point of death; come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed, and fhe fhall live. Jefus went with him and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an iffue of blood twelve years, and had fuffered many things of many phyficians, and had spent all that the "had and was nothing better'd, but rather grew worfe: when the had heard of Jefus, came in the prefs behind, and touched his garment; for the faid, If I may touch "but his cloaths, I fhall be whole; and ftraight દ + Mark v. 22. "And touched the hem of his garment." Matth. ix. 20. ftraightways the fountain of her blood wasCHAP. « dried up; and the felt in her body, that the II. was healed of that plague. And Jefus imic mediately knowing in himself, that vir"tue had gone out of him, turned him about "in the prefs and faid, Who touched my "cloaths? His difciples faid unto him, Thou "feeft the multitude thronging thee, and fayeft thou, who touched me? And he "looked round about to see her that had done "this thing: but the woman fearing and trem❤ bling, and knowing what was done in her, cr came, and fell down before him, and told "him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee "whole: go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. While he yet fpake, there came from the ruler of the fynagogue's house, "certain which faid, Thy daughter is dead, why troubleft thou the mafter any further? "As foon as Jefus had heard the word that was spoken, he faith unto the ruler of the fynagogue, Be not afraid, only believe; "and he fuffered no man to follow him, fave "Peter and James, and John the brother of ་་ James. And he cometh to the house of "the ruler of the fynagogue, and feeth the tumult, and them that wept, and wailed greatly. And when he was come in; he "faith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damfel is not dead but sleepeth. "And they laughed him to scorn. But when " he had put them all out, he taketh the fa"ther and the mother of the damfel, and them "that PART" that were with him; and entereth in where IV. "the damfel was lying, and took the damfel "by the hand, and faid unto her, Tabitha Cumi, which is being interpreted, Damfel I fay unto thee, arise. And ftraightway the dam"fel arofe and walked, for fhe was of the age "of twelve years. And they were astonished "with a great astonishment. And he charged "them ftraightly that no man fhould know "it, and commanded that fomething fhould "be given her to eat." These two miracles (one of which is preparatory to the other) are * in fuch a manner connected together, that they cannot be feparated, and they have both fomething very fingular, and infallible marks of truth. I begin with the first. Was it natural that Christ in the midst of a crowd pressed on every fide, fhould difcern the particular touch of the hem of his garment, and that this touch fhould inftantly heal an incurable disease? was the difpofition of the woman, bashful on account of her disease, yet positive of her cure, who thought herself unworthy of asking it publicly, but excufable if the fecretly stole it; was this, I fay, a common difpofition, or does it eafily enter ones mind? did the manner in which Chrift feemed to be uneafy about, knowing who touched him, and to condemn that liberty, at a time when the throng greatly preffed him; did it agree with the idea, which the evangelifts have given in other places "Jefus arofe and followed him, and behold a woman which had an iffue of blood &c." Matth. ix. 19. places of his goodness and knowledge, which CHAP. could have eafily conjectured it? As this wo- II. man was cured, was it neceffary to distinguish her from the crowd, in order to tell her, it was he? How comes it that he was fo attentive to publish a fecret miracle; he, who a little while after fo explicitly prohibits the miracle of a refurrection to be divulged, tho' it was of greater concern' and more divine than the cure of a fingle infirmity? In short, why was Chrift defirous of fhewing that they could come very near him, and even prefs him, without touching him? was it easy to make fuch a diftinction? and is Chrift's defign in making it, or inftructing his difciples to do the fame, even now within the compafs of all capacities? This is in part what puts this miracle above all fufpicion, and establishes the truth of it. With regard to the fecond, every thing contributes to render it indubitable. Jairus, who is mentioned, is ruler of a fynagogue of one of the towns of Galilee, and confequently well known. He lays himself proftrate at the feet of Jefus Chrift, before a crowd of people who attended him, and requests the cure of his only daughter, who was at the point of death. Whilft Chrift went with him, he had notice that his daughter was dead, and that it was needlefs for Chrift to go any farther. All this is fimple, natural and public; and the miracle wrought by the He had one only daughter, Luke viii, 42, way, is a proof. PART a proof that it was performed before a crowd of witneffes. IV. It is not Jairus that demands the refurrection of his daughter; on the contrary, he acquiefces in the advice of his people, and entreats Chrift not to give himself a needless trouble. He was not therefore in confederacy with them, in order to counterfeit a feeming death. Chrift (who exhorts him to believe and hope for her refurrection, as he wished for her health) could be grounded only on a power which he was affured of, and of which he was mafter, fince he offered it without being asked, and demanded an abfolute reliance. During the reft of the way the death appeared not only certain, but was public, though neither Chrift nor Jairus forwarded its publication. Christ, instead of exaggerating the truth thereof, treated it as a simple sleep his expreffion admitting a double meaning, became the fubject of raillery to those who understood it literally, and who looked upon it as extravagant with relation to a death, which was unquestionable. The house was in tears, every part was filled with lamentations. The people hired for the fake of heightening the mournful scene by their folemn mufic, were actually bufied in that lugubrious office. Chrift is obliged to command filence, and to put them out. Yet he was fo little defirous of acquiring any honour from a resurrection, the neceffity of which he endeavoured to conceal, by faying that the girl was not dead but flept, that he kept only his three difciples with him; and on the other |