under Earchly Similitudes, and fo by mad he ca rv ſtand ſomeching elſe rhan Leaven wich which Men ufe to leaven their Bread. Unbelief , Thar they having ſeen the Power and Goodneſs of their Lord and Maſter, to feed four th »ſand with ſeven Loaves, and five thouſand with five Loaves, leavins a grea: remainder: and that he did chis for a mixed Multicude, our of 4 mcer Compaſſion ro the Wants and Cravings of Humane Na- rure, ſhould nor judge that he was able to provide for them alchouzh they had brcught no Bread : or, doubt whether he would do ir or no for them, who were much dearer to him. 3. Firgetfulneſs, which is often in Scripture made the Mother of Unbelief and Diſobedience » Deuter. 4.9, 23. and 25. vs. Pſal. 78.11. There is norhing of difficulty ja che Terms, only from this Hiſtory we may learn theſe things. 1. Thar God expettech that we ſhould nor only hear and fee, bur underſtand. 2. Tat he looks we ſhould ner only hear fer the preſent time, bur for the time ro come : C!.riſt expetted har his Diſciples ſhould have learned from his Doctrine abour Waſhing of Hands, that he could not mean the Leaven cf Bread, bur t>merhing elſe which might defile them. 3. That he is much diſpleaſed with his own People when he diſcerns Blindneſs and Jonorarce in them , afrer their more than ordinary Means of Enowledge. 4. That former Experiences of God's P.;wver and Goodneſs ma- niteſted for us, or to us, oughe to ſtrengthen our Faith in him when we come under rhe like Circumſtances; and a diſputing, or doubting after ſuch Experiences, arguerh bur a lictle arid very weak Faich, and an hardneſs cf Heart, that the Mercies of God have not. made a juſt Impreſſion on our Souls: [Then underſtood they that he had them mot beware of the Leaven of Bread, but of the Doctrine of the Phariſees, and of the Sadduces.] Mark, inſtead of, and of the Sadauces , hath , and of the Leaven of H:yod : which hath made fome think that Herod was a Sadduce. The Doftrine of the Phariſees is reducible to two Heads, Juſtificatim by the Works of the Law, and thoſe Works too accrding to that imperfect Senſe of the Law they gave. 2. The Oblizatim of the Tradition of the Elders : Whole Traditions were alſo (as we have F.card) fome of thera of thar nature that they made the Law of God of no effeft. The Dodtrine of the Sadduces we are in pur: told, Act, 23. 8. They ſaid, there was no Reſurre&ion, nor Ange), my Spirir Thefe were Principles excellently ſuired ro Men ot Acheiſtical Hearts and Lives; and it is more than probable, that #7:y24 and his Courtiers, and ſome of his Lords, and gre:t Captiiins, had ſuck'd in ſome of theſe Principles, 'and theſe were the Her-dians mention'd in Matth. 22. 16. and Mar. 3.5. Theſe Dodrines are by our Saviour compar'd to Zeauen, not only becauſe of che ſower nature of ir, bur alſo, becauſe Herericks Words ( as the Apoſtle faith) eat as doth a Canker, and arc of a Contagious na- curez as Leaven doth diffuſe its Quality into the whole Mafs of Mear : Our Saviour, ch. 13. 33. had, upon this account, compa- red the Goſpel to Leaven, becauſe, by his Bleſſing upon it, ic ſhould influence che World, as we have heard, ch. 13.
12 When Jeſus came into the coaſts of Ceſfarea Philippi , he asked his diſciples, ſaying , Whom do men fay. that I, the Son of man. am ?
14 And they faid, * Some ſay that thou art John the Baptiſt, ſomeElias, and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
This, and the following part of this Diſcourſe, is relared both by Mark and Luke : Mark hath it, chap. 8. 279. And Feſis went out , and his Diſciples into the Town of Ceſarea Philippi, and by the way he asked his Diſciples , ſaying unto them, Whoamn d» Men ſay that T am? And they anſwered, John the Bapti$F, but jome ſay Elias , and others, one of the Prophets. Luke faith, :'p. 9. 18, 19 And it came to paſs, as he was alane praying , his Di.ciples were with him, and he ashed them, ſaying , Whom ſay the Pero thes Iam? They anſwering him , ſaid, John the Baptist, bur (::0e (ay Elias, and others ſay, that one of the Old Prophers s 1/1 again, Matthew and Mark name the Place whither our Saviour was go- ing, viz. Ceſarea Philippi : Ir is ſo called, partly to diſti:guiſh ir from another Ceſarea; and partly, becauſe it was built ro the Honour of Tiberius Ceſar, by Philip the Tetrorch. It was a City at the bottom of Lebanon, and npon the River of Fordan. Mark ſcirh, cms Diſcourſe was in the Way. Lhe fairh, As he was alone Praying : Burt As muſt there ſignine fie ; t- r we cannor chink that our Saviour would interrupt himfe!- uy Prayer, by this Diſcourſe; nor could he be alone Prayin: , if hu Diſc'ples were with him; boch which Luke ſaith; ſo char &y md © 0 a7 ;y TE9TEUNuEvY xalanwores, were Cefrainly trawl. cd ' .cter, After he had been Praying alone, { his Ditciples were wich :m :] So that this Diſcourſe might be (as Mark faith ) in the Wy, betore they
came to Ceſarea Philippi, whither he was going. He acked his ,
Diſciples , ſaying , hom do Men (or, the People, as Luls hath it) ſay that T am 2 Nor that our Saviour, who kneiwv ce Hearts of all, did nor know, bur to draw our Peter's following Conteſ- fion. [And they ſaid unto him , Some ſay thu art Frbn the Baptis, | we heard before rhar H-rod ſaid fo, [ others Elias. | This reſpeRted the Prophecy, Mal. 4.4,5. The Fews had a Tradition z Thar before the coming of rhe 4/2ſſt.rs, Elias ſhould come, 79h. 1.21. [Some ſay Feremias, ) this is only in. 3utthew, | or one of the Pro- phets.) The Fews ſeeing Chriſt do ſuch wonderful Works, could not reſolve themſelves who he! was. Herod, and his Courrt-
party,
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"a party ſaid, That he was John the Baptist riſen from the Dead. They had ic 1cems an Opinion of ſome extraordinary Virtues , or Powers, in ſuch as were rifen from che Dead. Many Interpreters azrce, that tne Fews had at: Opimon, Thar Good Mens Souls, when they died, went into other Bodies. This made them guels, £1145 Our Saviour was one of the Old Prophets.
15 He ſaith unto them, but whom ſay ye that I am? ;
15 And Simon Petzr anſwered and ſaid, * Thou art Chriit the Son of the living God. |