The confession of Peter.

at it, he said unto them. Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing : the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?* He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.

With this mysterious, figurative, but exceedingly interesting and sublime discourse, the particulars of our Lord's ministry to the end of the second year are brought to a close. It is confidently believed that these last words were spoken exactly a year before his betrayal; and perhaps on the very eve that the Paschal lamb was being offered in the temple court of Jerusalem Jesus was addressing the multitudes in Capernaum on the divine bread which alone can save the soul. From this time Jesus more and more withdraws himself from the crowds who were wont to follow him. He begins to act and speak as in view of his approaching death, and loses no opportunity of instructing the twelve regarding his divine Sonship, and the great purpose of his mission to earth. His teachings become more profound and more heavenly, and his enemies are more openly and in stronger terms rebuked and denounced.

Then came together unto Jesus the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.* And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy Is. xxix. 13. of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; Ex. xx. 12. and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death : Ex. xxi. 17.

* It is evident from John vi. 4 that the third passover during Christ's ministry happened soon after the discourse recorded in the last Section. For the reason already given (John vii. 1), Jesus did not go up to Jerusalem to attend it; and so the scribes and Pharisees, who, perhaps, wondered at his absence, having themselves formally observed all the passover requirements, hastened to Galilee to seek him, and track his steps. Matthew and Mark are the principal historians of this part of our Lord's earthly history.

but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered and many such like things do ye.

And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

Then came his disciples and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

And when he was entered into the house from the people, Peter said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do ye not perceive that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness all these evil things come from within, and defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not

a man.

SECT. II.

DAUGHTER OF THE SYRO-PHENICIAN WOMAN HEALED, AND OTHER MIRACLES. (MATT. XV. MARK Vii.)

REGION OF TYRE AND SIDON. And from thence Jesus arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have

no man know it: but he could not be hid.* For a certain
woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard
of him, and came and fell at his feet. The woman was a
Greek, a Syro-phenician by nation; and she besought him
that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter, crying
unto him, and saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son
of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came
and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth
after us.
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto
the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and
worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered
and said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is
not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs.
And she said, Truth, Lord : yet the dogs under the table eat
of the children's crumbs. Then Jesus answered and said
unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: for this saying, be it
unto thee even as thou wilt. Go thy way; the devil is gone
out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house,
she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the
bed.

And again departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus came nigh unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis, and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.

cured.

And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an A deaf man impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue and, looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was

We have now to follow Jesus through one of the most singular of his journeys. Hitherto the plain of Gennesaret had been the chief scene of his labours; but now his journeys become more widely extended, and the circuits more prolonged. Travelling first over the hilly country that lies to the N.W. of the Sea of Tiberias, where he met the Syro-phenician woman, and healed her daughter, he crossed the boundary line that divided Palestine from Phenicia, passed the ancient city of Tyre, and proceeded northwards to the famous old seaport of Sidon. Then, turning eastwards, he crossed the southern ridge of Lebanon, descended into the valley of Leontes, skirted the base of Hermon, and, near the sources of the Jordan, entered the Decapolis on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee.

The feeding

loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well : he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I of the 4,000. have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children and he sent them away.

SECT. III. THE PHARISEES AGAIN ASK A SIGN.

(MATT. XV., xvi. MARK viii.)

And straightway Jesus entered into a ship with his disciples, and came to Magdala, in the parts of Dalmanutha.*

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting

*Magdala was a town on the western side of the lake, about three miles north of Tiberias, and perhaps Dalmanutha was the name of the district around. Even in these remote regions his Jewish enemies met him, and again demanded a sign of his Messiahship.