Mark 1

THe beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the son of God. The Gospel seems to have taken its Name from the Angels Words to the Shepheards, Luke 2.10. I bring you good Tidings of great Ioy. (For the Word in the Greek signifies a good Me sage, or good News, or Tidings) It sometimes signifieth, the Historical Narration of the coming of Christ, Iohn Baptists, and Christs Preaching, and what he did in the World, his Birth, Life, Death, &c. sometimes the doctrine of Salvation by Christ, in Opposition to that of the Law, sometimes the Dispensation of it or that Period of time, when God began to Publish the Mystery hid from Ages, openly to the World. It seemeth here to signifie the latter: For both Matthew and Luke seem to begin the History higher. Luke from the History of Iohn the Baptist and Christ, as to what things preceeded their Birth. Matthew from the Birth of Christ, But the Dispensation of the Gospel began with the preaching of Iohn the Baptist· Before his time the Doctrine of the Gospel, was made known to Adam, and Abraham, and David, Prophesied by Iacob, Isaiah, and several of the Prophets, but Iohn was the first in who those P omises and P ophecies were fulfilled, the first P blick and Plain Preacher of the Doctrine of the Gospel, for the Law and the Prop ets, Prophesied until Iohn. Since that t me the Kingdom of Go is Preac ed, and every Man presseth into it Matth. 11.13. Luke 16.16. so as Iohns Preaching w s the beginning of the Go pel, for tho the Doctrine of the G pel, was darkly before made known yet it then began to be pl inly and publickly declared to the World. He was the first in w om the Gospel Prophesies began to have an End, as both the Prophesies and the types of it, had a more full complement in C rist. Two Prophesies at lea t had their complement in Iohn, wh ch we ind in M lac y, Mal. 3.1. which the Evangelist ment o eth in the next verse, and M l. 4.5. concerning Elias first to come, which o r Saviour applyes to Iohn. Math. 11.14. Chap. 9 11. and the Angel be ore him. Luke 1.17. besides Isaiahs Prophecy. saiah. 40.3. applyed unto him by Matthew Ch, 3, 3. and in the third verse of this Chap. and by Iohn applyed to himself Iohn 1.23. This Gospel is called the Gospel of Iesus C rist; because the History of Christs Birth, Life, and Death, is the matter of it. Chri t was by Matthew called the Son of David, t e Son of Abraham, to let us know that he was truly Man, a N tive I w, and of the Royal Family, and derived from those two Families, to whom the Promises of the Messias were made. By Mark he is called the Son of God, to let us know that he was more then mere Man. And indeed who, but he who was the S n of God, could fully reveal his Fathers will? Determine the Law of M ses, and introduce a new way of Worship, and publish a M stery of Salvation, hid from all preceding ages, tho not from all individual Persons in them.

As it is written in the prophets, Behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths strait. The Prophets Malac y and Isaiah (says the Evangelist) Prophesied of this beginning of the Gospel. Malachy Prophesied, th t before the Great King should come unto Zion, an Harbinger should come before him; to prepare his way. The Angel Luke 1.11. expounds both the r Pr phesies, and also that Mal. 4.5. And he shall go before him in the Spirit, and Power of Elias, to turn the hearts f the Fathers to the Children, and the dis obedient to the Wisdom of the Iust; to make read a Pe ple pr pared for the Lord. Iohn by his Preaching turned the Ears of the People to the sound of the Gospel, and so prepared them for Christ. See the further Explication of these words, in the Notes on Matth. 3.3 & 11.10. This Name given to Iohn the Baptist, A Voice crying, gives us the right notion of a Gospel Minister. Here is but a Voice crying, speaking, what God has first suggested to him. Thus Exod. 4.15. God says to Moses. Thou shalt speak unto him, and put Words into his Mouth, and I will be with thy Mouth, and with his Mouth.

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. Luke says that Iohn began about the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, he Baptized in the Wilderness, that is a place little inhabited, by his Baptism is not to be strictly understood Baptism, b t his Preaching and Doctrine, his whole Administration, which is called the B ptism of Repentance, because Repentance was the great thing he Preached a seal of which Baptism was to be, the consequent of which was to be the Remission of Sins, or the Argument which he used to press Repentance, was the Remission of Sins. See further the Annotations on Matth. 3.5.6. where we before had these Words.

And John was clothed with camels hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins, and he did eat locusts and wild hony. This was all explained in the Notes on M tth. 3.4.

And preached saying, There cometh one mightier then I after me, the latchet of whose shooes I am not worthy to stoop down, and unloose.

I indeed have baptzed you with water, but he shall baptize you with the holy Ghost. We had the same with very little difference in the Phrase Matth. 3.11. See the Notes there.

And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

And straightway coming up out of the Water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him.

And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Christ, who Luke 2.51. went with his Parents to Nazareth, and was subject to them, after he had been disputing with the Doctors in the Temple, now goes from Nazareth a City in Galilee, to that part of Galilee near Iordan, or rather to Bethabara where Iohn was Baptizing, and was Baptized, see the Notes on Matth. 2.13.16.17. John 1.28. where this piece of History is more fully related. Luke addeth that Christ was now about thirty years of age.

And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, and was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministred unto him. Both Matthew and Luke relate the History of our Saviours temptations by the Devil more fully. See the Notes on Matth. 4.1.2. Mark says immediately, but it is not to be taken strictly, for the next moment but after a day or two as it should seem.

Now after that John was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye and believe the gospel. It should seem that Iohn had but a short time, wherein he exercised his publick Ministry, he was the Son of a Priest Zacharias Luke 1.13. and it is probable that he entred not upon his publick Ministry, till he was thirty years of age, (it was the Sacerdotal age, and the ageat which Luke telleth us our Saviour entred upon his publick Ministry.) He was but about six Moneths older then our Saviour, and was imprisoned, as soon as our Saviour entred upon his Ministry, indeed before we read of his entrance upon it. Upon his Imprisonment, Christ beginneth to Preach in Galilee, the Gospel by which he set up his Kingdom, and which leadeth Men to the Kingom of God. And saying, The time is fulfilled, the time determined of God for the Revelation of the Messias, and the grace of the Gospel through him, foretold by the Prophets Dan. 2.44. hence Christ is said to have come in the fulness, and in the dispensation of the fulness of time Eph. 1.10. Gal. 4.4. And the Kingdom of God is at hand, the gracious dispens tion of God in the Gospel is at hand, or has approached. Repent you. Turn from the wickedness of your ways, and b lieve he Gosp l, or in the Gospel, to believe the Gospel is one thing, to believe in the Gospel, (as it is here in the Greek) is another. The former phrase signifies no more then a firm, and fixed assent to the Proposition of the Gospel, but to believe in the Gospel, is to place our hope of Salvation in the Doctrine, and promises of the Gospel, which are the proximate object of our Faith, tho the primary object of it be the Person of the Mediator. There is a Repentance that must go before Faith, that is the applicative of the promise of pardoning mercy to the Soul, tho true Evangelical Repentance, which is a sorrow for Sin, flowing from the sense of the love of God in Christ by the fruit, and effect of Faith. Our Saviours Preaching agreeth with the Baptists Matth. 3.2. Iohn 3.23.

Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers.

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become Fishers of Men.

And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his Brother, who also were in the ship, mending their nets.

And straightway he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the Ship, with the hired servants, and went after him. We heard of the call of these four Apostles, before in Mat. 4.18. in the Notes upon which, may be found whatsoever is necessary for the explication of these verses, (having nothing new in them) as also the reconciling of what Iohn says Chap. 1.40. about the calling of Andrew and Simon, to what these two Evangelists say about it.

And they went into Capernaum, and straightway on the sabbath day, he entred into the synagogue, and taught.

And they were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. We heard before that the Synagogues were much of the Nature of our Parish Churches, places where People ordinarily met together on the Sabbath days, to Worshp God by Prayer, and reading the Law and the Prophets, and he ring the Words of Exhortation, from such as the Rulers of the Synagogues appointed thereunto. Christ ordinarily Preached in them. The Evangelists often mention, the Peoples admiring, being amazed, and astonished at his Doctrine, but it is one thing for People to be astonished, and amazed, at a new Doctrine, and to admire the Preacher, another thing to believe; we read amongst the Jews, of many that were affected at the hearing of Christ, with astonishment, and admiration, but of few that believed in him, for he taught them as one that had Authority. A small derivative from this, is yet seen in the Gravity, awful presence, and Authority, (which as a great gift of God) we see still given to some faithful Ministers of Christ, such especially as God maketh a more eminent use of in the conversion of Souls. But this great Preacher had the Spirit above humane measure, not as the Scribes, the ordinary teachers of the Jews, who read their lectures of the Law, but so coldly, and without Life, and Power, as the hearts of the People were not at all affected with them, no more then with the dull telling a tale, with which neither the tellers, nor hearers were much affected.

And there was in their synagogue, a man with an unclean spirit, and he cryed out,

Saying, Let us alone what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth, art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the holy One of God. Luke reports the same passage, he says.—There was a Man who had the Spirit of an unclean Devil. The Devil is called an Vnclean Spirit, In opposition to the Spirit of God which is the Holy Spirit. The Man that had this unclean Spirit, or rather the Vnclean Spirit in the Man cryes out, Let us alone, what have we to do with thee, he doubtless feared what followed, viz. That he should be cast out. He counts himself destroyed when he cannot do mischief like wicked Men, who are the seed of this old Serpent, who Prov. 4.16. Sleep not except they have done mischief, and their Sleep is taken away, unless they have made some to fall. The Devil here owneth Christ to be the Holy one of God.

And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. It is both here and in many other places observable, that when the Devils made a confession of Christ, yet neither Christ nor his Apostles would ever take any notice of it. Truth is never advantaged from the Confession of known Lyars (as the Devil was from the beginning) Christ need not the Devils testimony, either to his Holiness, or his being the Son of God, nor would he have People allow the least faith to the Devils words. Nor was he to be imposed upon, by the Devils good words, he was to make no truce with him, but to Destroy him, and his works, he therefore chargeth him to hold his peace, and to come out, And when the Vnclean Spirit had torn him. The Greek Word here is ill translated, torn, as appears by Luke 4.35. where it is said, it did him no hurt; the word signifies no more then a violent Convulsion, or shaking, and it is observed that those possessed by Devils, had only their members made use of by the Devils, but without any wounding or laceration of them, he cryed out with a loud voice, and came out of him. O how loth is the Devil to part with his Possession, but possibly also Christ would have him cry out with a loud Voice, that his miraculous operation, might be the more taken notice of.

And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned amongst themselves, Saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean Spirits, and they do obey him? The Jews had Exorcists among t them, who sometimes cast out Devils, by some forms of Invocation they had, but Christ commanded them out; he neither did it, by any kind of intreaty from any compact with the Devil, nor yet by any Invocation of God, but by an Authoritative Command; this was new to the Iews, and especially confirming a new Doctrine that he had published. But till we read of no believing, no agnition of him as God, or the Son of God, or the Messias, and Saviour of the World, o ly the generality are a azed, they could not obtain of themselves to believe this new Doctrine, nor yet so far command their passions, but they must be startled and amazed at it.

And immediately his fame spread abroad, throughout all the region round about Galilee. The Fame of his Miracles, rather then of his Doctrine, by this means many were brought to him to be cured, many were broug t also to hear him, some of whom believed, others were hardened.

And forthwith when they were come out of the synagouge, they entred into the house of Simon, and Andrew, with James and John.

And at evening, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

And all the city was gathered together at the door.

But Simons wives mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils, and suffered not the devils to speak because they knew him. It was upon the Sabbath day, (as appeareth from what went before) therefore the time is noted, at the Evening when the Sun was set. Before that time when the Sabbath was determined, the Jews thought it unlawful to carry any burdens, but after Sun-set they judged it Lawful. The usage of the Particle all here, v. 32, 33. is again observable to show the vanity of those who will from general Particles, conclude Propositions contrary to the Analogy of Faith. Those Particles being often used in a restrained Sense. Luke says, that the Devils cryed out, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuked them, suffering them not to speak because (or that they) knew him. Chri t desired not to be published so soon under that Notion, but he much less desired the Devils testimony in the case, see v. 25. Acts 16.18. The good Words of the Devil and his Seed, are indeed a defamation to Christ and his Seed.

And in the Morning rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. Secret Prayer stands commended to us, as by the precept of Christ, Matth. 6.6. so by his frequent example, to teach us that our duty in Prayer, is not discharged without it, we are to pray with all Prayer and Supplication, there is in Publick, and Private Prayer, a more united s rength, and interest: But in secret Prayer an advantage, for ore free and full communication of our Souls unto God. Christ for this chuseth the Morning (as the time freest from Distractions and Company,) and a solitary place as fittest for a secret duty.

And Simon, and they that were with him, followed after him.

And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for therefore came I forth.

And he came, and took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministred unto them. See the Notes on Matth. 8.14. where we met with this History. Our Saviour ometimes showed his Power in diseases not accounted incurable. The Miracle appeared. 1. In the cure of her without the use of any means. 2. In the Instantaneousness of the Act, she did not recover gradually, but in a moment, and to such a degree as she could Minister unto them, suppose at Dinner or Supper, &c.

And he preached in their Synagogues, throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. Peter probably pitieth the Multitude, because many amongst them needed Christs presence, for their bodily infirmities. Our Saviour knew their hearts better then Peter, and that which made them so much seek for him, was either in some a curiosity to see Miracles wrought, or at be t, but a desire of some bodily benefit from him. Whereas his working of Miracles was but a secondary work, subservient to his work in Preaching, and done to confirm his Doctrine, and to advantage them as to their Faith in him as the Messias. As therefore he refused to gratify the curiosity of the Pharisees in giving them a sign: So here our Saviour takes no notice of the Multitude seeking for him, but says to his Disciples, Let us go into the next Towns, that I may P each there also, for therefore am I come forth. Paul says that Go sent him not to Baptize but to Preach, 1 Cor. 1.17. Our Saviour says not, Let us go into the next Towns, that I may work Miracles, but that I may Preach there al, he does not say he came forth to work Miracles, but to Preach, how it comes to pass, that some are possessed of so slighty an opinion of Preaching, as to think that it is nee less, which our Saviour and St Paul counted to be their principal Work, where in the mean time, they pretend to derive from Chri t, I can ot tell. I am sure Preaching was the greatest part of Christs work, how it comes to be the least part of Ministers work since or how any of them think it sufficient to discharge that work by Journey Men, which he thought it not beneath him to do himself, may deserve their examination, which make it so; we do not say that Preaching is a greater Work then Prayer, or that it is not Ministers duty to Pray, nor yet that it is greater then administring the Sacrament. But this we say, we read of Christs Preaching o ten in the Synagogues, on the Mountain, in a Ship, of his P blick Praying we read not, tho of his Private, and secret Prayer o ten. We read expresly that he Baptized none, we must have leave to think that our greate t Work, which our Lord and his Apostles were most imployed in, and do think others will be of our Minds, assoon as they shall understand, that if the end of Preaching be not turning Men from one opinion to another, but from the love, and practice of Sin to God, there is as much need of it as ever, and that the turning of Men from one Opinion to another, without a change of heart, as to the love of Sin, is but a turning of Men from one quarter of the Devils Kingdom to another.

And there came a leper to him, beseeching him and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

And Jesus moved with compassion, put forth his hand and touched him, and says unto him, I will; be thou clean.

And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

And he straightly charged him, and forthwith sent him away.

And says unto him, See thou say nothing to any man, but go thy way, show thy self to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.

But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places, and they came to him from every quarter. We before had this piece of History, Matth. 8.2. to the Notes upon which it is enough to refer our Reader, we shall also meet with it hereafter in Luke, Ch. 5 Our Lord being moved with Compassion, or affected in his Bowels, (as the Word signifies) is often used as Expressive of the cause of his Acts of Mercy; thus in curing the Leper, he at once both showed himself the Son of Man, one who could have Compassion on our infirmities, and indeed could not but have such a Commiseration toward Mankind, and the Son of God, that he could in an instant, by a Touch, or by the Word of his Po er co and o f a Disease of so difficult Cure. For his Charging of him to sa nothing to any Man, we are not able to give a perfect account of it, whether it was to avoid a Susp c on of Ostentation: or to avoid a throng of Company pressing upo him, or to avo d the Odium which he knew the doing of t ese mighty Works, wo ld bring him under with the Scribes and Pharisees, until the time came for the fuller Revelation of himself. Much less can we tell how to excuse the Leper, for doing contrary to this charge, which we find many others to have done, who had the like charge, yet we read not of our Saviours blaming them for it. Mark addeth that his Publication of it caused, That Iesus could no more openly enter into the City, but was without in desert places, by which is to be understood only places less inhabited, so e think, places near the shore, whereby goi g into a Ship (as he often did) he could more easily quit himself of the Throng of People, for (as it followeth) they came to him from every quarter.