he fays, Mark xiii. 15. Let him that is on the Houfe-Top, not go down into the Houfe, neither enter therein to take any thing out of the Houfe. And the latter Affertion may be fairly drawn from the fame Words of our Saviour, because the Advice fup. poses that there was another and a nearer way of descending from the Houfe-Top, which is not to be understood (we may be fure) of venturing their Necks by throwing themselves down from it; nor can it well be understood of any other than a Pair of Stairs or ftanding Ladder plac'd on the Outside of their Houses.

THIS then being generally the Fashion of the Jewish Houses, was probably the Fashion of That at Capernaum: where, while Jefus was preaching to the People, and while the Room where he flood was filled, and even the Space about the Door below was crowded with Hearers, a Man fick of the Pally was brought in a Couch or (p) fort of Elbow Chair, by four Perfons who carried him: And when his Bearers could not find a Way thro' the Crowd about the Door, because the Multitude was fo Great and so very Attentive, they bethought themselves of going round the House, and getting at Jefus by another way; which was to carry the Paralytick up the Stairs on the Outfide of the Houfe, and by that Method they brought him up upon the Roof: When they were got thus far, it seems that they found the Door (or Way of the Roof, as the Jewish Rabbins call it) fhut and faften'd, by which they had hoped to convey the fick Man down into the Room where Jefus was. To work then the Bearers go, and force open the Door of the Roof, which St. Mark expreffes by reseaσav Thν séƑnv, they uncover'd the Roof, i. e. (q) they open'd the Door, which lying Even with the Roof was a Part of it, when it was let down and fhut: And because they 'us'd Force in opening the Door, St. Luke speaks of

(p) St. Mark calls it xpdc6alos, and St. Luke xxvidiov: fo that these two words are fynonymous. Now Hefychius explains the word σκιμπόδιον by ευτελὲς κλινίδιον μονοκοίτιον, from whence it may be remark'd that there were xxvidia no larger than for One perfon only, and of a much fmaller fize than the word Bed conveys an Idea of to an English Reader. And this feems to be the Size of the Bed or Chair in this place; for tho' Four perfons help'd to carry the Sick man in it, yet it was no larger than what He alone could carry, when he was heal'd by Jefus, as appears by the Story.

(9) That this is the Senfe of St. Mark's words, appears from confidering, that if the Door resembled the Trap-doors at the Top of fome of our Houfes, and if, when let down, it lay even with the Roof, it was properly a Part of the Roof; and of confequence the lifting or forcing it up was uncovering the Roof.

them

them as (r) opuEarles breaking it up, or rather pulling it out of the Frame. And having done this, they let down the Couch and the Sick Man upon it (probably two of them going firft down to receive the Bed, and the other two letting it gently down into their Arms) which in St. Luke's Phrafe is a Tav nepáμav natñnav, they let him down thro' the tiling, i. e. thro' the Roof, which, except where the Door was, was pav'd with (s) Tiles By these means they brought the Paralytick into the Room, and found no difficult matter to place him in the midft before Jefus. Upon this Jefus feeing how great the Faith of this Man and his Bearers was, who had taken fo much pains to get at him, was pleas'd, on this occafion, to heal the Paralytick in a Miraculous manner, as the Sequel of the Story affures us.

IF this Account be a True, or at leaft a Probable one, as it feems to be both from the Account itfelf, and the Notes fubjoin'd to it, we may be able to give a fatisfactory Anfwer to the Charge of Abfurdities which Mr. W. has brought in fuch Plenty against the Literal Story.

HE begins with asking, What did the People fo throng and prefs for? Was it (fays he) to fee Jefus work Miracles? then the People fruftrated their own Expectations by not making way for the Paralytick. But tho' the Intent of fome that crowded the Door might be to be healed by him, yet it is

(r) This word opares is omitted in the Camb. Greek MS. and it is not exprefs'd in the Old Latin MS. of the Abby of Corbie, nor indeed in the Syr. Perfic. and Ethiop. Verfions. But there is no need to fuppofe the Greek word not to be genuine; for we may understand by it, no more than pulling, or forcing the Door out of its Frame, without any digging, or ufing of Inftruments for that purpofe: The Vulg. has patefacientes, which comes to the fame in effect with opucaves, and does not imply, that there was any digging us'd in the opening of it: but only that the Door was broken open, or pulled out, in which Senfe St. Paul ufes this very word, Gal. iv. 15. τὲς ὀφθαλμὸς ὑμῶν ἐξορύξαντες, pulling out your Eyes, i. e. by force, but not by digging, in the proper and ftrict meaning of the word. It may be obferv'd too, that the Couch or Chair not being a Large one (as we fhew'd in the Note (p) p. 78.) it might be let or carried down, with the fick Man upon it, without widening the Paffage, or making any Hole about it.

(5) Κέραμοι and τέχΘ, (or sέγη) are fynonymous words in the Greek Authors, as Steph. in voce népau informs us; who adds, Pollux tradit non fuo tempore folùm, népauov fuiffe vocatum ipfum Tey, fed Ariftophanem quoque ita appellaffe in Cocalo: And the fame thing may be obferv'd by comparing, ver. 1286. of Ariftoph. Vefpe together with the Note of the Ancient Scholiaft upon it.

probable

probable that the Greater part might have come to hear his Doctrine (with which St. Luke tells us, Chap. iv. 32. that they had been astonished, when Jesus was the laft time among them); and they certainly who came on this Account did not fruftrate their own Expectations in not giving way to this Paralytick on the contrary, if they had retir❜d to make room for him, then they would have furnifh'd Mr. W. with more Ground for this Objection.

BUT he goes on, Was it then to hear Jefus preach? No (lays he) for Capernaum was Jefus's own Country, and therefore he was without Honour there. The Fact is falfe, and therefore his Conclufion from it must be groundless; for Capernaum was not Jefus's own Country, but Nazareth, which the Evangelifts juftly call fo, because he lived there for the beft part of thirty Years. It is faid indeed by the Evangelifts, that Jefus had been twice at Capernaum before this time; but of his first time of going thither we read, that he continued there not many days, John ii. 12. When he went the

fecond time, tho' St. Matt. chap. iv. 13. fays that he xaTexnoer in Capernaum, yet from (t) St. Mark's account of the matter it seems as if Jefus ftaid there but one Day and one Night: If I fhould allow Mr. W. the moft that he can poffibly draw from it, yet his Abode there muft have been but for a few days; and with this Account St. Matthew's Word naTannoy well agrees, which may as well be render'd be fojourn'd or boufed there, as he dwelt there: This Leigh bas fhewn in his Critica Sacra. I confefs that, tho' no Evangelift calls Capernaum Jefus's own Country, yet St. Matthew, ix. 1. feems to mean this Place when he calls it Jefus's own City: Here Mr. W. may think (if he pleases) that I yield up the Point, and grant him, tho' not the fame, yet fomething Equivalent to what he afferted. But I would advife him not to triumph too foon, for I affure him that this Conceffion will never ferve his purpose: Tho' Jefus had been but twice at Capernaum before this Time we are fpeaking of, and had ftaid there fo little a while each time; yet, after the Cure of this Paralytick, Jefus during the reft of his Life frequently went down to Capernaum, and made long Abodes there: He feems to have chofen it for the Ordinary place of his Refidence, and therefore St. Matthew (who wrote his Gospel after the Death of Jefus) might probably enough call it his own City, tho' it had not a Right to that Name at the time when Jefus heal'd there the Man who was fick of the Pally. So that, if Capernaum was not Jesus's own Country in any Senfe, nor his own City at that time when the People flock'd to hear him, the Proverb, that a Prophet is

(t) See chap. i. ver. 21, 29, 32, and 35. compar'd together.

without

without honour in his own Country, is no Objection to this Circumftance of the Story. If the Evangelifts may be believ'd, we find, that, the last time before this Appearance of Jefus in Capernaum, all the City was gather'd together at the Door, where he was, Mark i. 33. and they were astonished at his Doctrine, for his word was with Power, Luke iv. 32. If he left them then in fuch Amazement, it is no wonder, that at this third time of his coming they flock'd about him in great Numbers.

BUT why (fays Mr. W) had not the Paralytick and his Bearers the Patience to wait till the Crowd was difperfed? The Man at the Pool of Bethesda had too much Patience, it feems, and This Man too little: Any thing will ferve for an Objection, I perceive; But if this Paralytick and his Bearers had not Patience, to Mr. W's Size, what is that to the Miracle? And yet perhaps they were not fo blameable for their Eagernefs, as he imagines: For how could they know but that Jefus might leave the City as foon as he had done preaching, and before the Crowd was well difperfed? If this was their Fear, it was no Unlikely one to happen; for when Jefus was laft among them, the Crowd continued about his Door till Night (very probably till late at Night, as the Circumftances feem to thew), and he left the City in the Morning a great while before Day, Mark i. 35. And why might not his Departure be as fudden now? Thus the Sick Man and his Bearers might have reafon'd; and if they did, they reafon'd better than Mr. W. has done in any part of his Difcourfes, at least than he does in what follows.

IF they could not (fays he) get to the Door of the Houfe for the Prefs, of confequence they could not come at the Sides of it. Some men have their peculiar ways of arguing, and this Mr. W. may call one of His, without fear of Envy. For where is the Confequence? If the Door was crowded, must that whole Side of the House be fo too? Or if that Side was crowded, had the House no other Sides? May it not have had Three others? And why will not he allow One of them to have been Clear for the Paralytick to have come up to it? if the Crowd came to hear Jefus teach, it feems moft probable that they were all got together on that Side only from whence he was teaching.

WELL, but the Sick Man (fays he p. 57.) was hawl'd and heaved up to the Top of the House with Ropes and Ladders. Here he doubts not but he has got hold of an Abfurdity in the Literal Story; but he has no faft hold of it, as will appear; for there was no need of hawling or heaving, of Ropes or Ladders to be brought, if my Account of the Jewish Houfes be a True, or even a Probable one. All, that the Bearers had to do, was to carry the Sick Man round about G

by

by fome private way to that fide of the Houfe, where the Stairs or Ladder was, which led from the Ground to the HouseTop: up these Stairs they carried him with no more trouble than they had been at to bring him down the Stairs of his own House.

STILL Mr. W. is not fatisfy'd: He has Abfurdities in Store to charge the Literal Account with; fuch as uncovering the Roof, and breaking up Tiles, Spars and Rafters; and making a Hole capacious enugh for the Man and his Bed to be let thro', p. 57. It was well (fays he) if Jesus and his Difciples efcap'd with only a Broken Pate, by the falling of the Tiles, and if the reft were not fmother'd with Duft, p. 58. But here Mr. W. raises a Duft without occafion; for if there was (as I fhew'd to be Probable) a Door on the Roof of the Houfe which lay Flat and Even with the Roof, the Bearers had nothing to do but to force and pull it Open: and for this they might only draw fome Nails, and take off the Hinges, or they might only break part of the Door or Door-Frame All which might be done without raifing any troublesome Duft, or breaking the Pate of any one below with the Tiles, even tho' we fhould fuppofe that this Door of the Roof was directly over the Room, where Jefus and his Difciples were: But why may not we fuppofe that the Stairs up to the Roof, and the Door at the Top of them were without the Room, as they commonly are among Us? If they were, what will become then of Mr. W's fancied Abfurdity? In this Cafe the raifing of fome Duft, and the dropping of a few Tiles would fall fhort of all the mischief which he (it feems) is so very apprehenfive of.

MR. W. has (I perceive) look'd into fome of our Commentators on this Chapter, and takes notice that Dr. Lightfoot and Dr. Whitby have both maintain'd, that the Roofs of the Jewish Houfes were Flat, and had a Door in them, by which the Jews us'd to afcend to the Tops of their Houses, p. 58. But he doubts whether what these Learned Men have faid comes up to the Cafe here, and is confiftent with the feveral Expreffions us'd by St. Mark and St. Luke on this occafion: That it is confiftent, I have already fhew'd; and therefore I fhall only take notice of what he adds, To indulge them in their Notion, I may ask them, What occafion was there then of widening the Door-way, and breaking down the Sides of it? p. 59. There was no occafion, I believe, nor is any mention made of the Bearers doing this; the word opúaves (as I faid before) not neceffarily implying any more than that they pull'd the Door open by force: and therefore if these be all the Objections which Mr. W. has to make against the Notions of thofe Learned Men, they may ftill pafs for Able Commentators, in the Number of which Mr. W. will never be reckon'd.

ALL