9 their lips; but their heart is far from me.

But in vain

do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the comto mandments of men. And calling the multitude unto 11 him he said to them, Hear and understand. Not that 12 which goeth into the mouth defileth the man, but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth the man. Then came his disciples and faid to him, Knowest thou that 13 the Pharifees, hearing this faying, were offended; He answered and faid, Every plant which my heavenly fa14 ther hath not planted fhall be rooted up. + Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind: but if the 15 blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch. Then anfwered Peter and faid to him, Declare to us this para16 ble. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without under17 ftanding? Do ye not yet underftand, that whatever

entereth into the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is 18 caft into the vault? But the things which proceed

out of the mouth, come out of the heart, and they de19 file the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, falfe witness, 20 railings. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwafhen hands defileth not a man.

21

And Jefus going thence, retired to the coafts of 22 Tyre and Sidon. And behold a woman of Canaan, coming out of those coasts cried to him, faying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daugh23 ter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his difciples came and befought him, faying, Send her away, for fhe crieth after us. 24 But he answering faid, I am not fent but to the loft V. 9. Teaching the commandments of men- -As equal with, nay fuperior to, those of God. What can be a more heinous fin? V. 13. Every plant-That is, every doctrine.

V. 14 Let them alone-If they are indeed blind leaders of the blind, let them alone; concern not yourselves about them: a plain direction how to behave, with regard to all fuch.

V. 17. Are ye alfo yet without understanding? How fair and candid are the facred hiftorians? Never concealing or excufing their own blemishes.

V. 19. First evil thoughts-then murders-and the reft. Railings The Greek word includes all reviling, back-biting, and evil-fpeaking. V. 22. A woman of Canaan-Canaan was alfo called Syrophenicia, as lying between Syria properly fo called, and Phenicia, by the fea-fide. Cried to him-From afar, Thou fon of David-So fhe had some know. ledge of the promised Messiah.

V. 23. He answered her not a word-He fometimes tries our faiths in like manner.

V, 24. I am not fent-Not primarily; not yet.

+ Luke vi. 39. || Mark với. 24.

V. 15. Then

Then fhe came and wor

25 fheep of the house of Ifrael. 26 fhipped him, faying, Lord help me. But he answering faid, It is not right, to take the children's bread and caft 27 it to the dogs. And fhe faid, True, Lord: yet the dogs

eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. 28 And Jefus answering said to her, O woman, great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour. 29 * And Jesus paffing thence, came nigh the sea of Galilee; and going up into a mountain, he fat down 30 there. And great multitudes came to him having with then the lame, blind, dumb, difabled, and many others; and caft them at the feet of Jefus, and he healed them: 31 So that the multitudes wondered, seeing the dumb to fpeak, the disabled whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to fee: and they glorified the God of Ifrael. 32 + Then Jefus calling his difciples to him faid, I have tender compaffion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat : and I am not willing to fend them away fafting, lest 33 they faint in the way. And his difciples fay to him,

Whence should we have fo many loaves in the wil34 derrefs, as to fatisfy fo great a multitude? And Jesus

faith to them, How many loaves have you? They 35 faid. Seven, and a few fmall fishes. And he commanded 36 the multitude to fit down on the ground. And taking the feven loaves and the fishes, he gave thanks and brake then and gave to his difciples, and the difciples to the 37 multitude. And they all ate and were fatisfied, and they took up of the fragments that remained seven 38 baflets full. And they that had eaten were four thou fand men, befides women and children.

V. 25. Then came fhe-Into the house where he now was. V. 28 Thy Faith-Thy reliance on the power and goodness of God.

V. 29 The fea of Galilee-The Jews gave the name of feas, to all large lakes. This was an hundred furlongs long, and forty broad. was called alfo, The fea of Tiberias. It lay on the borders of Galilee, and the city of Tiberias ftood on its western shore. It was likewise stiled The lake of Genefareth: perhaps a corruption of Cinnereth, the name by which it was antiently called, Numb xxxiv 11.

V. 38. They continue with me now three days-It was now the third day, fince they came.

V. 36. He gave thanks, or blessed the food-That is, he praised God for it, and prayed for a bleffing upon it.

V. 1. A

*Mark vii. 31. + Mark viii. 1a

39

And having fent away the multitude, he took fhip again, and came into the coafts of Magdala.

XVI. Then the Pharifees and Sadducees came to him and tempting, defired him to fhew them a fign from hea2 ven. § He answering faid to them, In the evening ye 3 fay, It will be fair weather; for the fky is red: And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day; for the fky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye know to difcern the face of the fky; can ye not difcern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation feeketh after a fign; but there fhall no fign be given to it, but the fign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them and departed.

4

5

3

9

*And when his disciples were come to the other 6 fide, they had forgotten to take bread. And Jefus faid to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of 7 the Pharifees and Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, faying, We have taken no bread. Jefus knowing it faid to them, O ye of little faith, why reafon ye among yourselves, because ye have taken no bread? Do ye not understand nor remember the five loaves of the five thoufand, and how many baskets ye 10 took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thou11 fand, and how many baskets ye took up? How do ye not understand, that I fpake not to you concerning bread, to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and 12 Sadducees? Then they understood, that he did not bid them beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharifees and Sadducees. ›

V. 1. A fign from heaven-Such they imagined Satan could not counterfeit.

V. 3. The figns of the times-The figns which evidently fhew, that this is the time of the Meffiah.

V. 4. A wicked and adulterous generation-Ye would feek no farther fign, did not your wickedness, your love of the world, which is spiritual adultery, blind your understanding.

V. 6 Beware of the leaven of the Pharifees-That is, of their falfe doctrine: this is elegantly fo called: for it spreads in the foul or the church, as leaven does in meal.

V.7. They reafoned among themselves-What must we do then for bread, fince we have taken no bread with us?

V. 8. Why reafon ye-Why are you troubled about this? Am I not able, if need fo require, to fupply you by a word?

V. 11. How do ye not underland-Befides, do you not understand, that I did not mean bread, by the leaven of the pharifees and fadducees ?

Mark viii. 11. Matt. xii. 38. § Luke xii. 54.

V. 13. And *Mark viii. 1 fo

13 And Jefus coming into the coasts of Cefarea Philippi, asked his difciples faying, Whom do men say that 14 the Son of Man is ? And they faid, Some fay John the

Baptift; others Elijah; others Jeremiah, or one of the 15 prophets. He faith to them, But whom fay ye that I 16 am? And Simon Peter anfwering faid, Thou art the 17 Chrift, the Son of the living God. And Jefus answering faid to him, Happy art thou, Simon Barjonah; for flesh and blood have not revealed this to thee, but my 18 Father who is in heaven. And I fay alfo to thee, Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and 19 the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it. * And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou fhalt bind on earth fhall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loofe on earth shall

V. 13. And Jefus coming-There was a large interval of time between what has been related, and what follows. The paffages that follow were but a fhort time before our Lord fuffered.

V. 14. Jeremiah or one of the prophets-There was at that time a current tradition among the Jews, that either Jeremiah or some other of the ancient prophets would rife again before the Mehah came.

V. 16. Peter-Who was generally the most forward to speak.

V. 17. Flesh and blood-That is, thy own reason, or any natural power whatfoever.

V. 18. On this rock-Alluding to his name, which fignifies a rock, namely the faith which thou haft now profeffed; I will build my church -But perhaps when our Lord uttered these words, he pointed to himfelf, in like manner as when he said, Deftroy this temple (John ii. 19.) meaning the temple of his body. And it is certain, that as he is fpoken of in fcripture, as the only foundation of the church, fo this is that which the apostles and evangelifts laid in their preaching. It is in refpect of laying this, that the names of the twelve apoftles (not of St. Peter only) were equally infcribed on the twelve foundations of the city of God, The gates of hell-As gates and walls were the ftrength of cities, and as courts of judicature were held in their gates, this phrase properly fignifies the power and policy of Satan and his inftruments. Shall not prevail against it--Not against the church univerfal, so as to deftroy it. And they never did. There hath been a fmall remnant in all ages.

Rev. xxi. 14.

V. 19 I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven---indeed not to him alone (for they were equally given to all the apostles at the fame time, John xx. 21, 2, 23.) but to him were firft given the keys both of doctrine and difcipline. He firft after our Lord's refurrection exercised the apostleship, Acts i. 15. And he first by preaching opened the kingdom of heaven, both to the Jews (Acts ii.) and to the Gentiles, (A&s x.) Under the terms of binding and loofing are contained all those acts of difcipline, which Peter and his brethren performed as apoftles: and undoubtedly what they thus performed on earth, God confirmed in heaven.

V. 20. Then

Mark viii. 27. Luke ix. 18. Mat, xviii, 18.

20 be loofed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples, to tell no one, that he was the Chrift.

21

+ From that time Jefus began to fhew his difciples, That he must go to Jerufalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and fcribes, and be 22 killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter taking hold of him, rebuked him, faying, Favour thy23 felf, Lord: this fhall in no wife be unto thee. But

he turning said to Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offence to me: for thou favoureft not the

V. 20. Then charged he his difciples to tell no one that he was the Chrift -Jefus himself had not faid it exprefsly even to his apostles, but left them to infer it from his doctrine and miracles. Neither was it proper the apoftles fhould fay this openly, before that grand proof of it his refurrection. If they had, they who believed them would the more earnestly have fought to take and make him a king; and they who did not believe them, would the more vehemently have rejected and oppofed fuch a Meffiah.

V. 21. From that time Jefus began to tell his difciples, that he must fuffer many things-Perhaps this expreffion, began, always implies his entering on a fet and folemn difcourfe. Hitherto he had manly taught them only one point, That he was the Chrift. From this time he taught them another, that Chrift must through fufferings and death enter into his glory. From the elders-The most honourable and experienced men; the chief priests-Accounted the most religious; and the fcribes-The moft learned body of men in the nation. Would not one have expected, that these should have been the very first to receive him? But not many wife, not many noble were called. Favour thyfelf-The advice of the world, the flesh and the devil to every one of our Lord's followers.

V. 23. Get thee behind me-Out of my fight. It is not improbable, Peter might ftep before him, to stop him. Satan-Our Lord is not recorded to have given so sharp a reproof to any other of his apofties, on any occafion. He faw it was needful for the pride of Peter's heart, puffed up with the commendation lately given him. Perhaps the term Satan, may not barely mean, thou art my enemy, while thou fanciest thyfelf most my friend; but alfo, thou art acting the very part of Satan, both by endeavouring to hinder the redemption of mankind, and by giving me the molt deadly advice, that can ever fpring from the pit of hell. Thou favoureft not-Doft not relifh or defire. We may learn from hence 1. That whofoever says to us in such a case, Favour thyself, is acting the part of the devil: 2. That the proper answer to fuch an adviser is, get thee behind me: 3. That otherwife he will be an offence to us, an occafion of our ftumbling, if not falling: 4. That this advice always proceeds from the not relishing the things of God, but the things of men. Yea, fo far is this advice, Favour thyfelf, from being fit for a chriftian either to give or take, that if any man will come after Chrift, his very first step is, To deny or renounce himself: in the room of his own will, to fubftitute the will of God, as his one principle of action.

G

V. 24. If