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them, When it is evening, ye fay, It will be fair 3 weather; for the iky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day; for the fky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can difcern the face of the sky, but can ye not difcern the figns of the 4 times? A wicked and adulterous generation fecketh after a fign; and there fhall no fign be given unto it, but the fign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

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And when his difciples were come to the other fide, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jefus faid unto them, Take heed and beware of the (a) leaven of the Pharifees, and of the Saddu7 cees. And they reafoned among themfelves, fay8 ing, It is becaufe we have taken no bread. Which when Jefus perceived, he faid unto them, (b) O ye of little faith, why reafon ye among yourfelves, be9 caufe ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet underftand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thoufand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the feven loaves of the four thousand, and 11 how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand, that I fpake it not to you concerning bread, that ye fhould beware of the leaven 12 of the Pharifees, and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the (c) leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharifees, and of the Sadducees.

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(a) The leaven of the Pharifces and Sadducees is the doctrine, the groundlefs traditions, and falfe opinions, which they mixed with the true word of God, and made it thereby of no effect. Chap. xv. 5, 17. Mark vii. 4, 8.

(b) If you had made ufe of either your understanding, or your memory, you must have known, that it was not of bread literally that I fpoke. For, you have very lately feen me produce a great quantity by miracle, and feed the multitude with it on two different occafions.

(c) Bread is metaphorically ufed for the doctrine, or diftinguishing tenets, of any religious fect. In the like fenfe Chrift calls himD 3 felf

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When Jefus came into the coafts of Cefarea Philippi, he afked his difciples, faying, Whom do men 14 fay, that I, the Son of man, am? And they_faid,

Some fay that thou art John the Baptift, fome Elias, 15 and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He 16 faith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter anfwered and faid, Thou art Chrift, 17 the Son of the living God. And Jefus anfwered and faid unto him, Bleffed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 18 but my Father which is in heaven. And I fay alfo unto thee, that thou art (d) Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell 19 fhall not prevail against it (e). And I will give unto thee the keys of the (f) kingdom of heaven: and whatfoever thou fhalt bind on earth, fhall be bound. in heaven and whatsoever thou fhalt loofe on earth, 20 fhall be loofed in heaven (g). Then charged he his difciples,

felf the bread that came down from heaven; and invites the Jews to eat of that bread, and, by a yet ftronger figure, to eat his flesh; that is, to receive and digeft his doctrine, as the true food and nourishment of the foul to everlafting life. John vi. 51.

(d) Peter fignifies a flone or rock. The belief that Jefus was the Chrift, is the rock and foundation ftone of the Chriftian Church. (e) It fhall never be utterly deftroyed.

(f) The kingdom of heaven, we must remember, is the kingdom of the gofpel, Chap. in. 2. and by the keys is to be underflood the power of opening the door, and admitting difciples into the church of Chrift. St. Peter was accordingly the firft apoftle who made converts to chriftianity, by preaching the gofpel on the day of Pentecoft to the Jews, Acts ii. 14. and afterwards to Cornelius from among the Gentiles. Als x. 28. xi. 3.

(g) The power of binding and loofing was given to St. Peter, not exclufively, but in common with the other Apoftles. This phrafe is to be understood in feveral different fenfes, according to the occafion on which it is used in Scripture. 1ft. It may fignify a miraculous power of inflicting fickness, or relieving men from it. The woman whom our Saviour healed on the fabbath-day is faid to have been bound by Satan eighteen years, but was then loofed from her infirmity. Luke xiii. 19, 16. 2dly. It may likewife fignify

the

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difciples (b), that they should tell no man that he was Jefus the Christ.

From that time forth began Jefus to fhew unto his difciples, how that he must go unto Jerufalem, and fuffer many things of the elders, and chief priests, and fcribes, and be killed, and be raifed again the 22 third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this 23 fhall not be unto thee. But he turned, and faid unto Peter, Get thee behind me (i), Satan, thou art an offence unto me for thou favoureft not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

24 Then faid Jefus unto his difciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take 25 up his crofs (k) and follow me. For whofoever will

fave his life, shall lose it: and whofoever will lose 26 his life for my fake, fhall find it (). For what is a man profited, if he fhall gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul? or what fhall man 27 give in exchange for his foul? For the Son of man

fhall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he fhall reward every man accord

the power of declaring what parts of the law were binding, and what men were fet free from, by the gofpel; as St. Peter did, as to the diftinction of meats and perfons, Acts x. 28. And thus it 'may fignify the power of prefcribing ordinances, with the affiftance of the holy Spirit, for the use of the church. 3dly. It may fignify releafing men, or not, from their fins; a power peculiarly lodged with the Apoftles, who had alfo the gift of difcerning men's fpirits, and could infallibly judge of the fincerity of their hearts.

(h) The publick and general acknowledgement of this important truth might have provoked the Jews to put him to death, before the time was come which the divine wisdom had appointed for that

event.

(2) Satan fignifies an enemy, and offence means the hindrance, or impediment (Chap. xviii. 6.) which Peter caft in our Saviour's way, by oppofing the method which God had appointed for the falvation of mankind, through a fuffering Meffiah.

(k) See Chap. x. 38.
(See Chap. x. 39. Note:

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28 ing to his works. Verily Ifay unto you, There be fome ftanding here, which fhall not taste of death (m), till they fee the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

I AND

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ND after (a) fix days, Jefus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up '2 into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them, and his face did fhine as the fun, and his raiment was white as the light. And (b) behold, there appeared unto them Mofes and Elias talking 4 with him. Then anfwered Peter, and faid unto Jefus, Lord, it is good for us to be here if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for 5 thee, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias. While he yet fpake, behold, a bright cloud (c) overfha⇒ dowed them and behold, a voice out of the cloud, which faid, This is my beloved Son, in whom 6 I am well pleafed; hear ye him. And when the difciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were 7fore afraid. And Jefus came and touched them, 8 and faid, Arife, and be not afraid. And when they had lift up their eyes, they faw no man, fave Jefus 9 only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jefus charged them, faying, Tell the vifion to no man, until the Son of man be rifen again from the 10 dead. ́And his difciples asked him, faying, Why then fay the fcribes, that Elias muft firft come? And Jefus anfwered and faid unto them, Elias truly fhall first come, and reftore all things (d): But I

(m) See Luke ix. 27.

(a) Six entire days after. Luke ix. 28. (b) See Mark ix. 4.

fay

(c) That glorious light, in which the divine majefty used to appear to the Jews on very folemn and extraordinary occafions.

(d) It is indeed prophefied that Elias was to come before the Meffiah, to prepare the way for him, Ifaiah xl. 3. Mat. iv. 6. and

fay unto you, that Elias is come already (e) and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatfoever 12 they lifted likewife fhall alfo the Son of man fuffer 13 of them. Then the difciples understood that he fpake unto them of John the Baptist.

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And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, 15 and faying, Lord, have mercy on my fon, for he is lunatick, and fore vexed: for oft-times he falleth 16 into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought

him to thy difciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jefus anfwered and faid, O faithlefs and perverse generation, how long fhall I be with you? how long fhall I fuffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jefus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of

him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the difciples to Jefus apart, and faid, Why 20 could not we caft him out? And Jefus faid unto them, Because of your unbelief (f): for verily I fay unto you, If ye have faith (g) as a grain of muftardfeed, ye fhall fay unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it fhall remove; and 21 nothing fhall be impoffible unto you. Howbeit, this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fafting (4).

22- And

in order to rectify all things by preaching repentance, and turning men's hearts to receive the gofpel.

(e) The prophecy is already fulfilled by John the Baptift, who came in the fpirit and power of Elias. Chap. xi. 14. But instead of attending to him as the forerunner of Chrift, they put him to death, as they will Chrift him felt.

(f) Because of your want of ftedfaft faith, or truft in the of God.

power

(g) If you were duly established in a firm trust in God, any way proportioned to your office and advantages, the divine affiftance would enable you to work miracles, and you would find nothing too difficult for you in the great work to which you are appointed for the promoting the falvation of men.

(h) However, you must not expect that affiflance, without a perfevering courfe of the moft fervent devotion, and the frictest felf-

D 5

governmenty,

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