mac boch the Winds and che Waves were under his Command, i And in the fourth Watch of the Night; | Thar is, abour three ours betore the riting'ot the Sun ; For tho rhe 7ews anciently divided cie Night 10to three parts, each conſiſting of tour Hours ; ver being at this rime under the Komans, they kept to their Divi- tion of ic inro four parts , which they called Watches, trom their Military Guards, which they reheved every three Hours, L Feſurs wont alſo unto them, walking upon the Sea ,) as It it had been firm Ground. { 4nd when te Diſciples ſaw him walking on the Sea, they were troubled , ſaying , 1t # a Spirtt : and they cried t for fear.) py rhis ic ſeemerh, char the Dodtrine of Spirits was nor !trange to char Age, tho' they had a Sect of Sadduces which denied ic: Thar the Devil , by God's Permiffion hath a Power to trouble and 1:irace che Air, aud alfo to atlume a viſible Shape, and 1n it co ;Frisht Pertons by Sea, or by Land, 1s unqueſtionable, When the Diſciples ar a diſtance ſaw Chriſt walking on rhe Sea, rhey concluded ir was ſome ſuch Apparition. This made them cry out through fear. [| But ſtraightway Feſus ſaith unto them, Be of g19d chow; it s 1, be mot affaid. | Mark, chap. 6. $2. addeth, They cmnfidared nt the Miracle of the Lowes , for their Hearts were þ:dened, Having had fo lare an Experience . borli of the Purcr and G2odnefs of their Maſter, in cir Jace ftraic for want or Bread, rhey ought nw fo 1 oon co have ihewed a difſtrutt in his Providence, as 15 tie would ave fuffercd them to have periſhed in the Sea z that Miracle did nor make a due Impreſſin upan them.
28 And Peter anſwer:d him, and faid , Lord, if it be thou. bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he faid , Come. And when Perer was come down out of the thip, he walked on the water
to go to Jeſus. | :
20 But when he ſaw the wind || boiſterous, he was afraid : and beginning to fink, he cried, ſaying. Lord, ſave me. |
21 And immediately Jeſus ſtretched forth hzs hand, and caught him, and faid unto him, O thou of little faith , wherefore didſt thou doubt?
Peter, by ſaying, 1f it be thou, ſhewed thar his Faith was not fo ſirong, as it ſhould have been, after he had heard his Maſter's Voice, by ſaying to him, [| Bid me come unto thee on the Water ; | he ſhewerh a ſomething ſtronger Faith, and a Reſolution to obey his Command ; bur his Fear afterward , when the Wind began to rite higher, and he began ro fink , argued again the infirmity of his Faich. Thus Peter is a Pattern of the beſt Believers; who tho* chey may ſometimes think thar they could truſt God in any Stare or Condition , yet ofren, miſtake their own Hearts, and begin ro ſhrink in an Hour of great Extremity ; which lers us ſee what need we have ro Pray, That God would nor lead us by his Providence into great Temprarions ; much more co take heed char wg do not throw our ſelves into them, No Man knows how he ſhall find his Heart under a great Tempration , uncil he hath rried ir. Ir therefore gives us a Caurion, as againft Con- demning others, ſo againſt Boaſting and roo much Confidence 25 to our ſelves ; and lers us fee how much need we have to keep our Eye upon Chriſt, and his Strength in ſuch an hour. | 4nd im- mediately Feſus ſtretched out his Hand. ) God is never far off from his People when extream Troubles are hard at Hand. Chriſt faverh Peter, bur not wirhout a Check. | O thou of little Faith, wherefore did$ thou doubt £] Doubting is diretily contrary to Faith, yer it will not conclude a Soul to have no Faich , only a /ittle Faith,
32 And when they were come into the ſhip, the wind ceaſed. *
33 Then they that were in the ſhip, came and worſhipped him, ſaying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
They; thar is, C5ri$ and Peter, whom we muſt ſuppoſe to have walked ſome way with Chriſt upon rhe Sea, Chriſt by his Com- pany making: his mighty Power more Conſpicuous; fo as the Marichees had no reaſon to conclude, from Chriſt's walking on tne Sea, thar he had no true Human? Bidy ; for ſure Peter had,and iney muſt aſcribe licrle ro our Saviour's Divine Nature that will not allow him to have had a Power to ſuſpend the Natural Motion Cnward which we ſee in all Gravity, which is an Affection of all Humane Bodies. No ſooner was Chriſt come into the Ship, bur the Wind ceaſed, in teſtimony of irs Homage to him who bringeth the Wind our of his Treaſuries. [ Thoſe that were mn the Ship, came and worſhipped him , ) paying a Religious Homage unto him, as he who had preſerved their Lives from © great a danger; and they further owned him to be the Son if God. This was that great Point which God was bringing the World to the acknowledgmenr of ; and we ſee ir was done by degrees 3 his Miracles ar firſt only procured a Veneration of him, and a Faith tha he had his Power trom God : Then he comes 7 be acknowledged the Son of David by the Blind Man : The
Iracle of the five Loaves , broughr many to. acknowledge him hat Prophet, that ſhould come int» the World, This is the firſt a we meet with fo plain and open an Acknowledsment of = being the Son of God. This was done nor only by his Diſciples, | = wig aka the Paſſengers in che Ship 3 bur ic was — a Iteady Faith, as to tizar point, which the Ditciples yer
Vol. II.
MATTHEW
34 And * when they wete gone over, they came into the land of Genneſarer.
25 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him , they ſent out into all rhar country round about, and brought unto him all that were diſeaſed.
36 And beſoughr him that they might only touch the hem of his garment ; * and as many as touched, were made perfectly whole.