but Joseph her husband, being a good-natur'd man, and unwilling to expose her to publick shame, he designed to put her away privately.

but while he was revolving this in his mind, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, the off-spring of David, don't make any difficulty of taking Mary for thy wife: for her pregnancy is from the holy Spirit.

and she shall be deliver'd of a son, to whom you shall give the name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

now by these events, that divine prediction of the Prophet had its full accomplishment, when he said, "Behold,

but did not cohabit with her as a wife, before she had-brought forth her first-born son; whom he named JESUS.

when king Herod heard these things, he was alarm'd, and all Jerusalem with him.

and having assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he enquired of them where Christ was to be born.

and he sent them to Bethlehem, go, said he, make an exact enquiry about the young child, and when ye have found him, let me know it, that I too may come and pay my adorations to him.

where he stay'd till the death of Herod: so that what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt have I called my son," was then fulfill'd.

Then Herod perceiving he was abused by the Magi, was full of indignation, and sent a detachment who slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and its territory, being under the age of two years, according to the limited time he had learnt of the Magi.

then he arose, and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

but when he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea, in the room of his father Herod, he was apprehensive of going thither, till having had a divine warning in a dream, he retired into the district of Galilee:

and went to dwell in a town called Nazareth, so that those words of one of the prophets were fulfill'd, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

for it is of John the prophet Esaias spoke, when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths clear."

but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadduces come to his baptism, he said to them, "Ye brood of vipers, who has warned you to fly from the wrath to come?

I indeed baptize you with water to lead you to repentance; but he that cometh after me, is my superiour, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry: he shall baptize you with the effusion of the holy Ghost, in the appearance of fire:

and with the fan in his hand, he will throughly cleanse his floor, and gather the wheat into his grainery, but the chaff will he burn with unquenchable fire."

but John opposed him, I have need, said he, to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?

and when Jesus was baptized, he came out of the water: and immediately the heavens seem'd to be parted asunder before him, and he saw the Spirit

there having fasted forty days and forty nights, he at length grew hungry.

then the devil took Jesus with him to Jerusalem, and having set him on the wing of the temple, he said to him,

if you are the Son of God, throw your self down: for it is written, "he will charge his angels to take care of you, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest you bruise your foot against a stone."

Again, the devil accompanyed him up a very high mountain, and representing to him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them: all these things,

said he, will I give you, if you will prostrate your self and worship me.

and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, a maritime town upon the confines of Zabulon and Nepthalim:

from that time Jesus began to preach, "Repent, said he, for the kingdom of the Messiah draws nigh."

Now as Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting their net into the sea: for they were fishermen.

and he said to them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men:

Going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were in a bark with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and Jesus having called them,

so that his fame was spread over all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were afflicted with any diseases or pains, demoniacs, lunatics, and paralytics; and he healed them.

Jesus, to avoid this crowd of people, went to a mountain: and when he was set down, his disciples came to him.

and he addressed himself to them in these instructions.

Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt become insipid, how shall it recover its savour? it is no longer fit for any thing, but to be cast out and trod under foot.

whoever therefore shall break any commandment, tho' of the least importance, and shall teach men so to do, shall not have the least admittance into the kingdom of the Messias: but whoever shall do and teach them, he shall be great in the kingdom of the Messias.

but I say unto you, whoever shall put away his wife, except in the case of adultery, is the occasion of her being an adulteress, and he that shall marry her is an adulterer.

that ye may be the children of your father who is in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

but if your eye be bad, your whole body will be dark: if therefore that, which should be light to you, be dark; how great is that darkness?

no man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will be attach'd to the one, and neglectful of the other. ye cannot serve God and Mamon.

And as for rayment, why should that give you pain? consider the lillies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.

now if God thus adorns the flower of the field, which thriving to day, is to morrow thrown into the oven, how much more shall he provide for you, if you have any degree of faith?

therefore make no such sollicitous enquiries, as what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or how shall we be clothed?

thou hypocrite, first get rid of the beam in your own eye; and then see how to remove the mote out of thy brother's eye.

for every one that asks, does receive: he that seeks, does find: and he that knocks at the door, is admitted.

is there any of you that would offer his son a stone when he ask'd for bread?

or instead of a fish, would he give him a serpent?

if ye then, as wicked as ye are, know how to bestow proper gifts upon your children; how much more shall your heavenly father give good things to them that ask him?

for he taught them, as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

and Jesus held out his hand and touched him, saying, I will, be thou clean. and immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

for I am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command: I bid this man, go, and he's gone: another, come, and he's here: and to my servant, do this, and it is done.

when Jesus heard it, he was surpriz'd, and said to his followers, I profess I have not met with such an instance of faith, no not in Israel.

he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose and gave him entertainment.

in the evening they brought him several demoniacs: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick:

When he went aboard the vessel, his disciples followed him.

and on a sudden so great a storm arose at sea, that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

and he answer'd, why are you afraid, o incredulous people? then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

When he was arrived on the other side, in the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs met him starting out of the tombs with such fury, it was not safe for any body to pass that way.

Being imbark'd, he pass'd over, and came to his own town,

only it was fit you should know that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins: arise, then, said he, to the paralytic, take up thy bed, and march home.

and he arose, and returned to his family.

As Jesus left that place, he saw one Matthew by name, sitting at the customhouse: and said to him, follow me. and he rose and followed him.

Whilst he thus entertain'd them, the ruler of the synagogue came and made his address to him, saying, my daughter is upon the point of death: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

When Jesus came to the ruler's house, he found a set of flute-players and a crowd of people making a lamentable cry,

and he said to them, withdraw, for the maid is not dead, but asleep. and they treated him with contemptuous laughter.

but when the company were turn'd out, he went in, and grasping her hand, the maid rose up.

and when he was got into the house, the blind men advanc'd: and Jesus said to them, do ye think I am able to effect this cure? they answer'd, yes, Lord.

then he touched their eyes, saying, according to your faith, be it unto you.

but the Pharisees said, he casteth out devils by the authority of the prince of the devils.

but when he saw how the multitude were fatigued and dispers'd like so many sheep without their Pastors, he was moved with compassion, and said to his disciples,

Jesus having called his twelve disciples, he gave them power to cast out unclean spirits, and to heal diseases and disorders of every kind.

but when they take you. into custody, be not sollicitous, how or what ye shall speak, for at the very instant you shall be inspir'd what to say.

and ye shall be hated by all the world for professing my name: but he that perseveres unto the end, shall escape.

he that loveth father or mother more than me, is unworthy of me: he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is unworthy of me.

and he that does not take his cross, and so follow after me, is unworthy of me.

he that would preserve his life, shall lose it: and he that exposeth his life for my sake, shall save it.

He that receives you, receives me; and he that receives me, receives him that sent me.

he that receives a prophet in quality of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receives a just man, as such, shall receive the reward of the just.

When Jesus had made an end of giving his twelve disciples their instructions, he departed thence to go and preach to the Jews in their cities:

in the mean time John having heard in his confinement of the actions of Christ, he sent two of his disciples to ask him,

art thou he that was to come, or must we expect another?

and happy is he who does not stumble at my appearance.

for it is he that is meant in that passage, "behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee."

I declare unto you, among the whole race of prophets, there never appear'd a greater than John the Baptist: (notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of the

Messiah is greater than he.) for ever since the appearance of John the Baptist the gospel kingdom is as it were invaded, and people of the most violent passions enter into it with zeal.

and if ye will believe me, he is the Elias that was to come.

he that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

so John came with fasting and abstinence, and they say, he is mad.

Then he began to upbraid the towns where most of his miracles were wrought, for their not being converts.

my father has instructed me in every thing: and no one knoweth the son, except the father: nor does any one know the father, except the son, and he to whom the son is pleased to reveal him."

he answer'd them, have ye not read what David and the rest of the company did when they were hungry,

how he entred into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which it was not lawful either for him or his company to eat, but only for the priests?

At his departure thence, he went into their synagogue.

and he answer'd, which of you all that should have one of his sheep fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, would not bestir himself, and lift it out?

is not a man of much greater consequence than a sheep? how lawful then is it to do good offices on the sabbath-day?

then saith he to the man, stretch out thy hand: and be stretched it out; and it was made as sound as the other.

but Jesus perceiving their design, withdrew himself thence, accompany'd by great multitudes, and he healed all their sick,

"behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew justice to the nations.

he shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoaking flax shall he not quench, till he hath made justice victorious.

Then they brought to him a demoniac, who was both blind and dumb: and he cured him so effectually, that he recovered both his speech and his sight;

but the Pharisees upon hearing this said, he exorcizes devils, by virtue only of Beelzebub the prince of the devils.