xvi.

Chapter Verfe cle of feeding the multitude. After difmiffing the people Jefus took fhip and went into the coafts I of Magdala. Here he was again folicited by the Pharifees and Sadducees to fhew them a fign from Heaven. And here he again tells them that the 4 fign of the prophet Jona only should be given, and departed abruptly. When he arrived at the other fide, he said to his difciples (who in their hafte had forgotten to take bread with them) 6 Beware of the laven of the Pharifees, and of the Sadducees. Perceiving that they understood 8 this as a reproof for their neglect, he faid-O ye of little faith, why reafon ye among yourselves, 9 because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the 5000, and how many baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the feven loaves of the 4000, and how 11 many baskets ye took up and afked, how it was that they understood not his meaning. They at 12 length perceived that the laven he cautioned them

14

againft, was the doctrine of the Pharifees and 13 Sadducees. After this Jefus, being in the coasts of Cefarea and Philippi, faid to his difciplesWhom do men say, that I, the Son of Man, am ? They reply-Some fay that thou art John the Baptift; fome Elias; and others Jeremias or one of the prophets. He afked again-But whom fay ye that I am? This appears an extraordinary queftion after the ample teftimony Peter had given, John, ch. vi. v. 69. Peter now answersThou

15

Chapter Verse

• Thou art Chrift the fon of the living God.' xvi.
Upon this Jefus calls himself bleffed, and says
the Father had given him this knowledge, calls
him a rock upon which he would build a church
against which the gates of hell fhould not pre-
vail; adding that he would give to him the keys
of Heaven, with power to bind or loose on earth,
and
every fuch fhould be bound or loofed in Hea-
ven. He adds a charge to his difciples that they
fhould tell no man that he was Jefus the Chrift.
(And yet, by John's account, he had told it to
the woman of Samaria*, &c.) From that time.
forth Jefus began to fhew unto his difciples, how
that he must go unto Jerufalem, and fuffer many
things of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes,
and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him,
faying-Far be it from thee Lord: this fhall not
be unto thee. Peter, whofe expectations had
been raised by the diftinction and promifes above
mentioned, was alarmed at this prediction which
threatened deftruction to a mafter upon whom
he depended for the accomplishment. But what
were his feelings when Jesus said to him-- Get

thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offence to 4 to me for thou favoureft not of the things ' which be of God, but those which be of man? Divefted at once of all his hopes, power and

pre

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Chapter Verse eminence: labouring under the immediate displeafure of his Lord; and in expectation of being abandoned for ever to his fate, his loaded mind muft have funk under the preffure, and defpair must have enfued. But Jefus, commiferating the infirmities of human nature, and perhaps unwilling to lose a difciple, faithful though fanguine, kindly relieved him, and again raised the hopes of all; faying The Son of Man fhall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he fhall reward every man according to his works. And left they might be discouraged by the too diftant expectation, he adds23 Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which fhall not tafte of death, till they

xvi.

xvii.

27

fee the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.' There are in the fcriptures many intimations that the day of judgment was approaching*, but its 1 extreme nearnefs, is here plainly declared. Six days after this, Jefus takes three of his difciples (Peter, James, and John) up into a high moun2 tain, where he was transfigured, as it is called, in their prefence. They beheld his face fhine as 3 the fun; his raiment white as the light, and Mofes and Elias, talking with him. Upon this, Peter (always fanguine) thinking it good for 4 them to be in this place, propofed to make three tabernacles for Jefus, Mofes, and Elias, one

•Vide page 51.

each :

Chapter Verfe

5

each but in the midft of this propofal, they xvii. were alarmed by a bright cloud which covered them, and a voice from thence saying- This is

my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;

hear ye him.' Mark gives nearly the fame account, but omits the words-in whom I am well pleased. Luke omits them likewise, but has this addition Mofes and Elias fpoke to Jefus of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerufalem. John, the only evangelift prefent, fays not a word of this extraordinary transfiguration &c. but in lieu of it he gives us likewife a fupernatural voice from Heaven, omitted by the other three, vide ch. 12, v. 28. Matthew proceeds with the story, telling us, that the three disciples, being fore afraid, fell on their faces, and when raised by Jefus, they faw him only, who charged them, faying tell the vifion to no man, until the Son of Man be rifen again from the dead. (Mark, ch. 9, v. 10, adds in this place, that they understood not what he meant by rifing again from the dead, and again in the 32d v. of faid ch.) To this, his difciples replied why then fay the Scribes, that Elias muft first come? and were answered-Elias truly fhall first come, and reftore all things: But I fay unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatfoever they lifted:

For a fimilar cafe, vide page

likewife

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9

10

14

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Chapter Verfe

13

likewife fhall also the Son of Man fuffer of them. Then the difciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptift. From this it is plain, that though they could not comprehend the rifing again from the dead; they well understood the doctrine of pre-existence; that a modern body might be animated by the foul of an ancient : and in this cafe, the foul of Elias, came again, in the body of John the Baptift. But here two difficulties obtrude themfelves-If an ancient foul placed in a new body, was unconscious of its pre-existence, and in course ignorant of paft events; of what greater ufe could it be in the world than any new foul? It is plain that John, with the foul of Elias (if he had it, which he himself denied, St. John ch. 1, v. 21,) was not only ignorant with respect to the past, but of the prefent likewise. Vide Matthew ch. 11, 2d and 3d verses. John ch. 1, v. 21. The second difficulty is*-Why the foul of a good man departed, fhould again fuffer in another body? John was poor, lived hard, was imprisoned, and at laft beheaded, to fulfill a foolish promise given to a girl for a dance. Add to these—how are we to understand (v. 11,) that the foul of Elias, in the body of John the Baptist-had restored all things? The angel Gabriel, previous to the birth of John, fays of him to his father Zacharias: He fhall

* Vide page

• be