Volume 2

262 L(fe of Jesus Christ
has done great things to us. He has had mercy on His
people, and has cured us by His Prophet!"
But the Pharisees, full of wrath and deeply mortified,
hurried away without taking leave of the Saviour. Everything
about Jesus exasperated thenl: His actions and His
manner of performing them, that He was not of the same
opinion with them, that He did not esteem them just,
wise, and holy, that He associated with people whom
they despised. They had a thousand objections to make
to Him; namely, that He did not keep the fasts strictly,
He associated with sinners, pagans, Samaritans, and the
rabble at large, that He was Himself of mean extraction,
that He gave too much liberty to His disciples and did
not keep them in proper respect-in a word, everything
in Him displeased thenl. Still they could bring no special
charge against Him. His wisdom and His astonishing
miracles they could not deny; consequently, they took
refuge in ever-increasing rage and calumny. When one
considers the life of Jesus in detail, the priests and people
of His time are found to be pretty much the sanle as they
are nowadays. If Jesus actually returned to earth, from
nlany Doctors of the Law, from many politicians, He
would have to endure still worse things.
The sickness of the lately cured consisted in a discharge
of impure humors. They were, before their cure,
quite exhausted and motionless, as if they had had an
apoplectic stroke. The eight others were partially lame on
one side. The beds consisted of two poles with feet, a
crosspiece in the middle, on which a mat was stretched.
They rolled the whole together, and carried them on their
shoulders like a couple of poles. It was a touching
sight-those men going through the crowd singing!
]. Is. ]:] 1.