Fragments, as, when they were gathered up, filled feven Bread-baskets.

39. After this, Jefus fent away the People; and went himself by Water into the Country of Magdala.

CHAP. XVI.

The Pharifees ask a Sign from Heaven, and are denied, ver. 1. The Difciples warned to take heed of the Leaven of the Pharifees and Sadducees, ver. 5. The Peoples Opinion of Chrift, and Peter's Confeffion of him, ver. 13. Jefus foretells his Death, and rebukes Peter for fpeaking against it, ver. 21. The neceffity of bearing Afflictions and Perfecutions, ver. 24.

I.

A Bout this time fome of the super·ftitious Pharifees and unbelieving Sadducees came to Jefus to tempt him and ask him captious Queftions, that they might find fome opportunity of reproaching and accufing him. And they defired that he would fhow fome miraculous Sign, immediately from Heaven; which might demonftrate him to be fent of God, and to act by his Power and Commiffion.

filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left, feven baskets full.

38 And they that did eat, were four thousand men, befide women and children.

23. But Jefus knowing their Obftinacy and Malice, answered them thus. Ye Hypocrites, wherefore do ye urge me to fhow you more Signs;

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

THE Pharifees

also with the Sadducees, came,and tempting,defired him that he would fhew

them a fign from

heaven.

2 He answered and faid unto them, When it is evening, ye fay, It will be fair

weather: for the sky is red.

3 And in the morning, It will

be

:

be foul weather to day for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can difcern the face of

the sky, but can ye not difcern the figns of the times.

4 A wicked and adulterous generation feeketh 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.

5 And when his difciples were come to the other fide, they had forgotten

to take bread.

as if God had not already given you fufficiently plain Tokens, to know both who I am, and wherefore I am fent? Ye are skilful enough in fmaller Matof Things that are to happen; ye can ters, to obferve the Signs and Tokens guefs by the Face and Colour of the Sky, what Weather is like to be the next Morning or Evening. Why then will ye not take pains in Affairs of greater Concern, to obferve the Periods and Revolutions of Things? Why can you not study to learn from the Predictions of the Prophets, and from the Things which ye fee accordingly come to pass, to know the Time and the Perfon of the Meffias.

I have

I

4. But ye are a degenerate and perverfe Generation of Men. Ye have feen many of the Things, which were foretold of the Meffias, already accomplished in me; and yet ye will not understand nor believe. already worked many and great Miracles in your Sight, and yet nothing will convince you but more Signs. tell you, God will not vouchfafe any more Signs to this Generation, but only this one to render them inexcufable; that as Jonas, after having been three days buried in the Sea in the Belly of the Whale, was caft up again alive; fo Chrift, after he fhall be killed and. buried in the Earth, fhall on the third day be raised again.

5. Having given this Answer, Jefus turned away from the Pharifees and Sadducees, and left them, and went with his Difciples over the Lake; and as they were in their Paffage to the other Side, they found that they had forgotten to take Bread.

H 3

6. Where.

13. After this, Jefus travelled through the Country about Cæfarea Philippi; and as he was walking in the Way, he asked his Difciple, What they heard Men talk about him, and Whom People thought him to be?

14. They faid; Some think you to be John the Baptift, rifen again from the Dead: Others think you to be Elias, the Fore-runner of the Meffiah: Others think you to be Jeremiah, or fome other of the Prophets.

15. Then he asked them, Whom they themfelves thought him to be?

16. Peter answered; You are Chrift, the Meffiah, the Son of the most High God; fent into the World for the Redemption of Ifrael, and to difcover the whole Will of God to Mankind.

17. Then faid Jefus to him; Bleffed and happy are you, Peter: For this your Confeffion is not a bare humane Conjecture, but a thing revealed to you by the Spirit of God.

18. By your Conftancy therefore in this good Confeffion, you fhall eminently be, what your Name fignifies, a Rock: that is, you fhall after my Refurrection and Afcenfion, be a firm, unfhaken, and immoveable Profeffor of the Truth: You fhall be the † firft + See Acts Preacher of my true Religion to the x. Gentile World; and fo become as it H 4

were

were *the first part that is laid of that
Foundation, upon which my Church
fhall begin to be built; which fhall after-
wards, as a well-proportioned Build-
ing, be continued and increafed by the
addition of fincere Converts in their
feveral degrees; and all the Powers of
Death and Hell fhall never be able ut-
terly to deftroy it.

X.

19. You fhall firft open the Kingdom See Acts of the Meffias, and make the firft Publication of the Gofpel to the Gentiles. And whatever Ordinances you fhall by the Affiftance of the Holy + See Acts Ghoft make and † establish, for the orderly Settlement of the Churches; your Determination fhall be ratified and confirmed of God,

XV.

known to his Difciples. But then,
20. Thus Jefus made himself plainly
either because he would not provoke
the unbelieving Pharifees, to apprehend
him before his Time; or because he
would not give occafion to the Multi-
tude to come together feditiously, and
make him (according to their false
Notions of the Meffiah) a Temporal
King; or because he knew it to be
more agreeable to his Defign, that Men
fhould collect and conclude who he
was, from his Doctrine and Miracles,
than that they fhould be told exprefsly
by his Difciples; therefore he strictly

dom of heaven: and thou

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingwhatsoever fhalt bind on earth, fhall be bound in heaven: and whatfoever thou fhalt loofe on earth, fhall he his difciples that be loofed in heaven. 20 Then charged they fhould tell no man that he was Jefus the Chrift.

*That the Rock here mentioned, is not the Confeffion, but the Perfon of Peter, feems plain from the Conftruction of the Words; But then 'tis alfo as evident, that by the Churches being built upon him, is not meant his being the only Foundation of it, or having Supremacy over it, but his being the first Preacher of the Gospel in order of time. Thus Ephef. ii. 22. Ye are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles, &c. See alfo Revel. xxi. 14.

21 ¶ From