Mark 2

Chap. II. Ver. 1—28. ‘‘We cannot deliver our fellow-sinners from the maladies of the eye, much less from those of the soul: but we may, in various ways, be helpful in bringing them to Christ for salvation; and should lose no opportunity, and shrink from no self-denial, in attempting it. The humbled sinner, who desairs of all help except from the Saviour, will evince his faith by seeking to him, with all earnestness and without delay; and difficulties will only serve to increase his diligence and resolution. He will not attempt to heal himself, or expect to become better, before he comes to his Physician; but when he receives the blessing of forgiveness, it is accompanied by such a powerful operation of renewing grace on his soul, that he evidently becomes ‘a new creature; old things pass away, behold all things become new!’ ”—T. Scott. 4

Notes on the verses

Ver. 34. Suffered not the devils to speak, &c.—*‘It is not the office of the devil to preach the gospel….. who is never more to be feared by us, than when he transforms himself into an angel of light.’ Beza.—*He suffered not the evil spirits to profess their knowledge of him; because he would not have him, who is the father of lies, to slander and disgrace the truth by his testimony.’ —Bp. Hall.”—T. Scott. Ver. 35. A great while before day.—Doddridge, ‘In the morning, before it was light; i.e. at the first dawn of day. Ver. 39. Galilee.—| Galilee was a province of Palestine, being bounded, says Josephus, on the west by Ptolemais and Mount Carmel; on the south by the country of Samaria and Scythopolis, on the river Jordan; on the east, by the cantons of Hippos, Gadara, and Gaulon; and on the north by the confines of the Tyrians.

It was divided into Lower and Upper Galilee:—Upper Galilee, so called from its being mountainous, was eminently termed Galilee of the Gentiles, ((Matthew 4:15).) because it abounded with them, being inhabited, says Strabo, by Egyptians, Arabians, and Phoenicians, and comprehended the tribes of Asher and Naphtali;—the Lower Galilee contained the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar, and was sometimes termed the Great Field. It was, says Josephus, very populous and rich, containing 204 cities and towns.|—Bagster. Ver. 45. Could no more, &c.—“The total want of inclination, or an entire aversion, forms as great an impossibility, as to the event, as a total want of physical power; but an impossibility, which in no degree interferes with our free agency, or responsibility.”

—T. Scott. Chap. II. Ver. 1. After some days.—The omission of any number here, seems to have occasioned a variety of supplements. Some copies supply ‘eight,’ others ‘many,’ but some appears to be the most general and unexceptionable.—It was noised.—Gr. ‘heard;’ i.e. the report of it. Ver. 2. About the door—That is, in the porch. Ver. 3. Borne of four.—Carried by four men. Ver. 4. For the press—That is, of people; Campbell, “the crowd.”——They uncovered the roof—The Gr. (stege) seems applicable to any kind of covering from sun and shade. According to Dr. Shaw, and other eastern travellers, the houses in Judea are all low, and flat-roofed, and built somewhat like our ancient inns, with a square in the centre, into which all the windows opened, and often with stairs on the outside.

| (See note on (Matthew 24:17).) In the court within, large companies were often entertained, and over it was then spread a large curtain, or awning, to keep off the sun. The Greek reads literally, ‘‘they uncovered the covering;”’ but Dr. Campbell, in better English, ‘They uncovered the place where Jesus was, and through the opening let down the couch on which the paralytic lay.’’ Ver. 5. Thy sins be forgiven thee.—[The Jews believed that not only death, but all disease, was the consequence of sin.—‘‘There is no death without sin nor any chastisement without iniquity.” (Shabbath.) And that “no diseased person could be healed of his disease till his sins were blotted out.” (Nedarim.) Our Lord, therefore, as usual, appeals to their received opinions, and asserts his high dignity, by first forgiving the sins, and then healing the body of the Ver.

7. Who can forgive sins but God only?—Pope Leo X., in the year 1517, published general indulgences throughout all Europe, to such as would contribute to the building of St. Peter’s, at Rome. According to a book called the Tax of the Sacred Roman Chancery, in which are contained the exact sums to be levied for the pardon of each particular sin, we find some of the fees to be thus: 4 d. For procuring abortion, 6 s. 6 d. For airicnayns [illegible] and [illegible] dead, 6 s. 6 d. For a false oath, 5 s. 8 d. For burning a neighbour’s house, 12 s. 0 d. For defiling a virgin, 9 s. 0 d. Lying with a mother, sister, &c., or the murdering a layman, 10 s. 0 d. Keeping a concubine, 10 s. 6 d. Assaulting a priest, 10 s. 6 d. So that for 5 l. 6 s. 6 d. or about $24 of our currency, a Roman Catholic could purchase the remission of all these abominable sins. See Buck’s Theological Dictionary, under the head of Indulgences. » Ver. 8. When Jesus perceived in his spirit.—Campbell, “Jesus knowing in himself.” He adds, “There is something particular in the expression of the Evangelist. To me it appears manifest, that the intention of the sacred writer was, to signify that our Lord, in this case, did not derive his knowledge from the ordinary and outward methods of discovery, which belong to all men; but