Mat.xvii.12. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

13.

Luke ix. 37.

Mark ix. 14.

15.

16.

17.

Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them
of John the Baptist.

MATT. Xvii. part of ver. 1, 2. ver. 3. and part of ver. 11, 12.
1-Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John-and bringeth them
up into an high mountain apart,

2 And was transfigured before them-and his raiment was
white-

3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias, talking with him.

11-truly shall first come, and restore all things.

12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come-

MARK ix. ver. 4, 5. 7. part of ver. 8. ver. 9. 11. and part of

ver. 13.

4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.

5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son; hear him.

8 And suddenly, when they had

9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed

LUKE ix. part of ver. 28, 29. 33, 34. and ver. 35.

he took Peter and John and James

and his raiment was white

33 Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias

34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them

35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

SECTION XVIII.

The Deaf and Dumb Spirit cast out.

MATT. xvii. 14-21. MARK ix. 14-29. LUKE ix. 37–42.
And it came to pass that on the next day, when they
were come down from the hill, much people met him.

And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great mul-
titude about them, and the Scribes questioning with them.
And straightway all the people, when they beheld him,
were greatly amazed, and running to him, saluted him.

And he asked the Scribes, What question ye with them?

And

Galilee.

Mark ix. 17. one of the multitude

Mat.xvii.14. and kneeling down to him,

Mark ix. 17. answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

Mat.xvii.15. Lord,

Luke ix. 38. Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son:

Mat.xvii.15. have mercy on my son:

Luke ix. 38. for he is my only child.

Mat.xvii.15. for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

Luke ix. 39.

Mark ix. 18.

And, lo, a spirit taketh him,

And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him:

Lukeix. 39. he suddenly crieth out, and it teareth him that he foameth

again,

Mark ix. 18. and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away:
Luke ix. 39, and bruising him, hardly departeth from him.

Mat.xvii.16. And I brought him to thy disciples,

Mark ix. 18. and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out;
Luke ix. 40. And I besought thy disciples to cast him out;
Mark ix. 18. and they could not.

19.

He answereth him, and saith, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him

Luke ix.41. Bring thy son hither.

Mark ix. 19. unto me.

20.

Luke ix. 42.

And they brought him unto him:

And as he was yet a coming,

Mark ix. 20. when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him ;
Luke ix. 42. the devil threw him down,

Mark ix. 20. and he fell on the ground, and wallowed, foaming.

21.

22

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

And ofttimes it has cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up;
and he arose.

Mat.xvii.18. and the child was cured from that very hour:
Luke ix. 42. and he delivered him again to his father.

Galilee.

Luke ix. 43.

Mark ix. 28.
Mat.xvii.19.

Mat.xvii.20.

And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. Galilee.
And when he was come into the house, the disciples
Then came to Jesus apart,

Mark ix. 28. and asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief:
for verily I say unto you,
If ye have faith as a grain of
mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove
hence to yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing
shall be impossible unto you.

Mark ix. 29.

And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by
nothing but by prayer and fasting.

MATT. Xvii. part of ver. 14, 16. ver. 17. part of ver. 18, 19. and
ver. 21.

14 And when they were come to the multitude-and saying,
16 and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse
generation how long shall I be with you? how long shall I
suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him19-the disciples-and said, Why could not we cast him out? 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting.

LUKE ix. part of ver. 38. 40, 41, 42.

38 And-a man-cried out, saying

40 and they could not.

41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation! how long shall I be with you, and suffer you?—

42-and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child

Markix.30.

SECTION XIX.

Christ again foretels his Death and Resurrection 2.
MATT. Xvii. 22. 28. MARK ix. 30-33. LUKE ix. 43-46.

And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee;
and he would not that any man should know it.

24 The three apostles had now beheld their God, companion, and friend, the Messiah, in his glorified state; in that form and manner in which he had appeared to the patriarchs and prophets of the ancient time, and in which he will again appear when he shall come again to judge the living and the dead. After this sublime disclosure of his celestial dignity, he continually reminded his disciples, and by that means prepared their minds for the approach of his degrading, cruel, and painful death. The saying was hid from them-it was incomprehensible-they understood it not. For the doctrine of the atonement, although prefigured by the types, and taught in the institutions of the law, and still more clearly revealed by the prophets, was not thoroughly understood, till life and immortality were brought to light by the Gospel. This doctrine was to the apostles, as well as to their countrymen, a stumbling block. It was, and it will ever be, foolishness to the Greek, and to all who assimilate to the same speculative, presumptuous, and philosophising character. Human reason must here be submitted to the Gospel. There must be a prostration of the pride of

Mat.xvii.22. while they abode in Galilee,

Luke ix. 43. while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus

did,

Mark ix. 31. he taught his disciples, and said unto them,

Luke ix. 44. Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the
Son of man shall be

Mat.xvii.22, betrayed, and

Mark ix. 31. The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men and they shall kill him: and after that he is killed, he shall rise

Mat.xvii.23. be raised again,

Mark ix. 31. the third day.

32. But they understood not that saying,

Lukeix. 45. and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not.
Mat.xvii.23. And they were exceeding sorry.

Mark ix. 32, and they were afraid to ask him

Luke ix. 45, of that saying.

46. Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of
them should be the greatest.

Mark ix. 33. And they came to Capernaum.

MATT. Xvii. part of ver. 22, 23.

22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be-into the hands of men :

23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall—

LUKE ix. part of ver. 43, 44, 45.

43-But-he said unto his disciples,

44

delivered into the hands of men.

45 But they understood not this saying-and they feared to ask him

Galilee.

Mat.xvii.24.

SECTION XX.

Christ works a Miracle, to pay the Half Shekel for the
Temple Service 2.

MATT. xvii. 24—27.

And when they were come to Capernaum, they that re- Capernaum.
ceived tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not
your Master pay tribute?

human intellect at the foot of the cross, before men with proper
humility can believe in the salvation purchased for them through
the atonement of a divine Being for the sins of man. He who
rejects this doctrine, counts the blood of the covenant an un-
holy thing, and violently separates the bond of love, which unites
a fallen man, to the mercy of his Creator.

25 It is uncertain whether the tribute demanded of our Lord
was the half-shekel for the service of the temple, 'or the common
taxes required by the rulers of the country. Both Lightfoot (a)
and Whitby (b) have adopted the former opinion, which seems
to be more consistent with our Lord's reasoning, that he was the
son of that King for whose use the tribute was demanded. The
conduct of our Lord in this instance affords a striking example

Mat.xvii.25.

26.

27.

He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Capernaum. Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up: and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

SECTION XXI.

The Disciples contend for Superiority 6.

MATT. Xviii. 1. to the end. MARK ix. 33. to the end.
LUKE ix. 47-50.

Mat, xviii, 1.
Mark ix. 33. being in the house,

At the same time

to all mankind, quietly to submit to all the laws and customs of
their country, which are not hostile to Christianity.

Jones (c) considers this as another significant action, and
remarks on it—“I have a notion of my own, for which I can
produce no authority of any commentator, that the three orders
of animals, the fowls of the air, the beasts of the earth, and the
fishes of the sea, represent three states of being; the fowls of
the air, the angelic or spiritual nature, both bad and good; the
land animals, the present state of man's life; the fish of the sea,
the state of the dead, who are silent and invisible. This may
appear strange and visionary to those who have not considered
it; but if the distinction is founded on the Scripture, then the
fish, that first cometh up, is he that first cometh up from the
dead, as Christ did, the first fruits of them that slept and as
he rose for our justification, he brought with him our ransom,
to be paid for those who have no tribute money of their own to
give. With this sense the case was worthy of the divine inter-
position." I insert this as a curious specimen of Jones' inter-
pretation of Scripture; it is fanciful, but ingenious.

Dr. Owen (apud Bowyer, p. 103.) has justly observed that the omission of our translators to mark the difference between the didrachma, v. 24. and the stater, v. 27. has obscured and enervated the whole account. The stater was equal in value to the didrachma, which was equivalent to the half shekel demanded (d) (Exod. xxx. 11-16. and xxxviii. 25-28.) for the service of the temple.

(a) Lightfoot, vol. ii. p. 212. (b) Whitby in loc. (c) Jones' Figurative Language of Scripture. (d) See on this subject Elsley in loc. Lightfoot ut supra, and Schoetgen's Remarks on Lightfoot, Hora Hebraicæ, vol. i. p. 151.

26 The ambitious dispute of the disciples concerning their precedency in the kingdom of heaven, proves that not even the repcated predictions of our Saviour's sufferings and death could banish from the minds of his followers their preconceived ideas respecting the Messiah's kingdom. To correct this prevailing error, our Saviour now resorts to a different mode of unde