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XVI. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Blessed art thou Simon, the son of Joanna, who hast thus believed with thy heart, and thus confessed with thy mouth: for it is not from any power of nature, that thou couldst have conceived thus of me; it is my Father, which is in Heaven, who, by his Holy Spirit, hath wrought this faith in thee.

XVI. 18 And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I say unto thee, That it was not for nothing, that I have heretofore given thee the name of Peter, which signifies a Stone; for thou hast herein approved thyself a living stone in that foundation of my Prophets and Apostles, whereof I myself am both the chief Corner Stone and also the firm Rock, by thee confessed, on which that foundation of my Church is so surely laid, as that the powers of hell shall never be able to prevail against it.

XVI. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

And I will give unto thee, as my prime Apostle, and to the rest of thy fellows, in whose name thou hast made this gracious confession, and to their lawful successors, the keys of the kingdom of heaven: so as, by their censures and doctrine, they shall either open the gates thereof to the faithful and penitent, or shut them upon the impenitent, disobedient, unbelievers: and, what sentence they shall herein pass in a right and well-grounded proceeding, shall be accordingly ratified in heaven; whether it be to bind over men to condemnation, or to acquit them of their sins to their justification and salvation.

XVI. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. Then Peter took him aside, and began to expostulate with him, saying, Lord, have not I confessed, and thou hast approved it, that thou art the Son of the Living God? how is it then, that thou talkest of suffering and dying? These things cannot agree: do not bode so ill things to thyself; rather thou shalt live and reign, and make all us great and happy.

XVI. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

But he turned to Peter, and said, When thou saidst well, I gave thee a title of love and honour; but now, when thou speakest thus carnally, I cannot but give thee thine own: It is Satan, that suggests this lewd counsel to thee, and thou sufferest thy tongue to be misguided by that tempter; since therefore thou playest his part, I shall justly call thee by his name: Get thee behind me, Satan; for these motions of thine argue a mind that is fleshly and sensual,

and not holy and rightly informed in and disposed to the things of God; who, by my sufferings and death, hath graciously purposed the redemption of mankind.

XVI. 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and fol

low me.

If any man will profess to be my disciple, let him deny and renounce his own will; and resign himself wholly over to be guided and disposed of by my Spirit; and let him resolve to undergo all crosses and afflictions, that shall be laid upon him for my Name's sake, and so let him follow me.

XVI. 28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Verily I say unto you, Ye shall have no cause to think it long, ere I, the Son of Man, shall come in the glory of my Father; for I will ere long give you very glorious representations and tastes of this ensuing Majesty: some of you shall live to see, not only the image of my fature glory in my Transfiguration, but the entrance and progress of my kingdom, both in my powerful Resurrection and glorious Ascension, and in the happy success of my Gospel through many parts of the world.

XVII. 4 Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

O Lord, how glorious a light is this! How happy were it, if we might continue here, and enjoy this blessed sight still! Below, there is nothing but trouble and danger towards thee: let us keep ourselves well where we are: and, if it please thee, let us build three Tabernacles; one for Thee, one for Moses, one for Elias: as for us, we could be content to lie abroad, so we might be sure of such a presence.

XVII. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.

Do not make report of this my glorious Transfiguration to any man whomsoever; till that my Resurrection shall have convinced the world of my Divine Power, which, in the mean time, must lie shrouded under my manifold infirmities.

XVII. 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

And his disciples, hearing him to speak of his Resurrection, and supposing that his glorious manifestation of his kingdom to the world should be effected before any suffering that he should undergo, asked him, saying, Master, if thy kingdom be so near, how is it that we hear not of the coming of Elias? for we have been taught by the Scribes, that Elias must come before that great day! XVII. 12 Elias is come already. See chap. xi. 14.

XVII. 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and

sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the

water.

Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is, at certain set seasons of the moon, sore vexed with a devil; who violently handleth him, and casteth him sometimes into the fire, and sometimes into the

water.

XVII. 17 O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?

O ye faithless and perverse Scribes and Pharisees, ye have been insulting upon my disciples, for that they could not eject this devil, and now think to find the same advantage against me: how long shall I be pained by being amongst you?

XVII. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Howbeit, this kind of devils requires more than the ordinary means of ejection, to dispossess them; for, whereas ye have cast out others by your sole command, there must be more done to these more stiff and tenacious spirits: besides command, here must be earnest prayer unto the God of Spirits; and, because devotion is apt to grow dull and faint, here must be an exercise of fasting and abstinence, to set an edge upon it and to stir it up.

XVII. 25, 26 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.

What thinkest thou, Simon? Caesar's officers call for that tribute from us, which was instituted and appointed to be paid for sacred uses: we are privileged persons; is it due to be paid by us? Do earthly princes require these payments of their children and familiars? How much less fit is it then, that he, who is the King and Possessor of all the World, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, should pay tribute to any earthly Sovereign for himself or his.

XVII. 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast a 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 thee and me.

Yet, however I might justly challenge this freedom, lest they, who know not the just ground of my immunity, should be scandalized at my forbearance, as if I did not yield due homage and respect to secular powers: go thou to the sea, and cast in a hook, and take up the first fish that is caught, and in his mouth thou shalt find a piece of silver, of the value of two shillings six pence: that take, and give it to them for me and for thyself, in whose house I abide.

XVIII. 1 Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Master, which of us shall be the greatest in that glorious kingdom, which thou art about to restore unto Israel?

XVIII. 3 Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and

become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Verily I say unto you, Except ye put off all ambitious thoughts, and become meek and humble as little children, ye shall not be meet to take up any stations, in this my Spiritual Kingdom here, and much less in the Glorious Kingdom of Heaven above.

XVIII. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

It is my rule, to measure greatness by humility: whosoever shall so humble himself as this little child, abasing himself in his conceits below all others, that man is and shall be the greatest in my kingdom.

XVIII. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

And whosoever shall shew kindness to one of these my lowly and meek-spirited servants, for my sake, I shall esteem it as done to myself.

XVIII. 6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. And whosoever shall offer any wrong or indignity to any one of these humble clients of mine, that believe in me, it were better for him, that he were drowned in the depth of the sea, or underwent any other temporal death; for this unjust measure of his shall be punished with eternal.

XVIII. 7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

Woe be to the world, because of those many stumblingblocks, which men lay in each others' way to salvation! Such there will be every where, but woe to those, by whom they are laid!

XVIII. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, &c. See chap. v. 29. XVIII. 10 For I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

For they are in so high and dear respect with God, that he hath appointed his angels in heaven to take charge of them here on earth; and they are ever ready, pitching their tents about them; and do ever attend, either to their safeguard or revenge.

XVIII. 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

He is more affected with the recovering of that one sheep which was lost, than with the safety of the rest of the flock; because the danger wherein that one sheep was, and the care and fear that he was in for it, caused his joy to be thereupon increased.

XVIII. 15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he will hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

When thy brother hath done an offence whereto thou only art

privy, do not at the first bring him to public censure, but first deal privately with him, for his repentance and reformation; and if he shall receive the good counsel and admonition thou gavest him, thou hast gained thy brother.

XVIII. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

And if he shall neglect the advice and reproof of them, make thy complaint to them who have the managing of the public censures of the Church, that they may proceed against him accordingly but if he neglect or disregard those public courses of his reformation, let him be avoided of thee as a man unworthy of thy conversation or respect, no less than as if he were a mere heathen or publican; the one whereof religion makes odious, the other his trade of life.

XVIII. 18 Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: &c. See John xx. 23.

XVIII. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

The single prayers of faithful suppliants shall not want audience and respect from God; but when they are doubled, by the conjunction of the hearts of more suitors and the united forces of many fervent desires, they cannot but be more effectual, and shall receive a gracious acceptation from my Father which is in heaven. XVIII. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

For, so highly do I respect the assemblies of my faithful servants, that, where any number of them shall be met together in a sincere desire to do me service, I will be there present with them by my Spirit, for the exciting, and directing, and accepting of their holy endeavours.

XVIII. 22 I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.

I say unto thee, thou mayest not be too severely niggardly of thy remissions, to bound them within a set and small number; but must be open-handed to a free forgiveness, though it be never so oft, where thou shalt see likely arguments of repentance, and hopes of amendment,

XIX. 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

Neither God nor his servant Moses ever allowed this course of your frequent and misgrounded putting away of your wives, upon slight and unwarrantable occasions: only God, by Moses, because he saw your cruelty and hard-heartedness towards your wives, to avoid further extremities gave order, that, since ye would needs put off your wives upon undue causes, or else do worse, ye should give them such a writing, as might testify that this dismis

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