whither he had gone from Judea. Then at ver. 4, "And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh." After which follows the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes, for feeding five thousand. "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle which Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet which should come into the world:" or the expected Messiah. Their notion of the kingdom, belonging to that character, being worldly and carnal, and they, looking for worldly advantages, "would have come, and taken him by force, to make him a king :" so that our Lord found it needful to" depart into a mountain himself alone." The disciples in the mean time took shipping, and he came to them walking upon the sea. When they had received him, "immediately the ship was at the land whither they were going," ver. 14-21. The people, having been disappointed, came to him as soon as they could at Capernaum; where our Lord takes an opportunity to reprove their carnal temper, and instructs them in the design of the Messiah, and the nature of his kingdom. And still taking upon himself that character, and requiring faith in him as such, he says: "I am the bread of life. -And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life.I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. If any man eat this bread, he shall live for ever. And the bread that I will give him is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Many therefore of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." But Peter, in the name of the twelve, and, possibly, in the name also of some others, followers of Jesus, said: "To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe, and are sure, that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," ver. 22-69.

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Ch. vii. 1, 2, "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand."- -ver 14, "Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple, and taught." Ver. 25, 26, "Then said some of them of Jerusalem- -Do the rulers know indeed, that this is the very Christ?" Ver. 31," And many of the people believed on him, and said: When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these, which this man has done?" Ver. 37, 38, "In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood, and cried: If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.". -He speaks of himself in the character of the Messiah, and calls on all men to come to

him, as such, and receive the great blessings, which he is able to bestow. And at ver. 40, 41, " Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said: This is the prophet. Others said: This is the Christ."

Ch. viii. 12-23, Our Lord is still at Jerusalem. And at ver 12, "Then spake Jesus unto them, saying: I am the light of the world:" claiming the character of the Messiah, and declaring also the advantages of believing in him, and the sad consequence of not receiving him. Ver. 21, " Then said Jesus again unto them; I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins." Ver. 24," I said therefore unto you, you, that ye shall die in your sins. For if ye believe not that I am he," the Messiah," ye shall die in your sins:" that is, ye will bring upon yourselves heavy judgments and calamities. Ver. 47," He that is of God, heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."-Ver. 56," Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day."- -Does not our Lord in all this propose himself to them as the Messiah, require their faith in him as such, and plainly intimate the calamities that would befall them, if they should continue to reject him?

Nor is there any inconsistency in what is here observed, and the accounts of the other evangelists. After Peter had made a profession of his faith, it is said, Matt. xvi. 20, “Then charged he his disciples, that they should tell no man that he was the Christ." And compare Mark viii. 30, and Luke ix. 21. Nevertheless, he was not unwilling to be thought of in that character. When Simon Peter had said by way of answer to the question that had been put to the disciples, "thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God:" our Lord was greatly pleased, and pronounced him blessed upon that account: and he was desirous that all should receive him as the Messiah. It was the design of his own, and his forerunner's preaching, as recorded in all the evangelists, the first three, as well as St. John. They called upon all men "to repent, for the kingdom of heaven," or of God, by the Messiah, "is at hand." So Mark i. 14, 15. And himself says, Matt. xii. 28, "If I cast out dæmons by the Spirit of God, then is the kingdom of God come unto you." And Luke xvii. 21, "Behold the kingdom of God is among you," or in the midst of you, not within you, as we render it: but he tells them that the kingdom of the Messiah was already begun to be set up among them. When our Lord was baptized, "there came a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Or, this is the Messiah: as recorded by all the first three evan

gelists: Matt. iii. 17; Mark i. 11; Luke iii. 22. And in them our Lord accepts applications to him, and confessions of faith in him, in the character of" the Son of David," and "the Son of God," both which are the same as the Messiah. Of the former there are many instances: of the latter I mention one. Matt. xiv. 33, "Then they that were in the ship came, and worshipped him, saying: Thou art the Son of God." And when he entered into Jerusalem, be accepted the acclamations of the multitude, which cried," Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed is be that cometh in the name of the Lord blessed is the king that cometh in the name of the Lord." Matt. xxi. 1-16; Mark xi. 1-11; Luke xix. 28-40. He sometimes laments the small success of his preaching, and that so few received him. But acquiesceth in the event. As in Luke vii. 31-35; Matt. xi. 16-26; Luke x. 21-24. And he even expresseth a surprise, that the pharisees and others did not discern the signs of the times. Matt. xvi. 1-4; Mark viii. 11-13; Luke xii. 54-57. And every one may easily perceive the reason, why he did not allow the disciples, or some others, to say publicly, that he was the Messiah. For considering that the Jewish people in general, and the disciples themselves, expected a worldly kingdom, and worldly advantages from the Messiah; there needed some discretion, lest men should have been led to make tumults and disturbances, which might have been offensive to the magistrate. But when our Lord spoke of himself, as the Messiah, he always inculcated the true design of his coming, and gave assurances of spiritual and heavenly blessings, and such only.

Our Lord still continues at Jerusalem. Ch. ix. 1-41, is the history of the man blind from his birth, whom our Lord healed, anointing his eyes with clay, moistened with his spittle. "And it was the sabbath-day, when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes." The man being brought before the pharisees, and examined by them, said, that he who had opened his eyes was a prophet. "And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said unto him: Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered, and said: Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? Jesus said unto him: Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said: Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him." All this needs no comment, Afterwards, at ver. 39-41, are intimations given to the pharisees of the sad consequences of rejecting him, And indeed in this history the bad temper of the Jewish rulers is very manifest.

Ch. x. Our Lord speaks of himself as "the true shepherd," or the Messiah. Ver. 11, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." Ver. 16, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold." Ver. 22-24, "And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him: how long dost thou make us to doubt! If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly? Jesus answered them: I told you, and ye believed not. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness of me." A very proper answer, certainly. And what follows to ver. 38, deserves to be consulted.

Ch. x. 39-42, "Therefore they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hand, and went away beyond Jordan, unto the place where John at first baptized: and there he abode. And many resorted unto him, and said: John did no miracles: but all things, that John spake of this man, were true. And many believed on him there." I suppose this retreat of our Lord to a place beyond Jordan, to be the same that is mentioned, Matt. xix. 1, and Mark x. 1, upon which some remarks were madet many years ago. What passed during that interval in that country, is recorded, Matt. xix. to xx. 16, and Mark x. 1-31. Nor was St. Luke unacquainted with this retreat. For he has inserted in his gospel, at ch. xviii. 15-30, some of the same discourses, which are in the other two evangelists, whilst our Lord was there: I say, I suppose that St. John and the other evangelists speak of one and the same recess. But St. John seems to mention more particularly the occasion of it, in the verses just recited.

In this place and interval, our Lord lived somewhat more privately than he had done before. He received all who came to him, either for instruction, or to be healed by him. But he did not go about the cities and villages of Judea, preaching publicly, as he had done for some while before.

I always supposed, that our Lord's living thus, in that place, at no great distance from Jerusalem, had in it a kind design. He intended thereby to afford to the Jewish people, especially their priests and rulers at Jerusalem, an opportunity to consider, and calmly reflect upon all the wonderful things that had happened among them in the space of a few years, the preaching and baptism of John, and all the things said and done by himself in the course of his minis

See the Vindication of our Saviour's three Miracles of raising the dead, in Vol. x. of this work.

try; particularly, the miracles which he had wrought among them, the claims which he had made of being the promised Messiah whom all ought to receive, and the intimations that had been given of impending ruin and misery.

Here our Lord waited, willing to rest the proof of his mission upon the testimonies that had been given to it. And if the rulers of the Jewish people had now come, and solemnly owned him in the character he bore, and with which God had clothed him, how joyfully would they have been received? But they were not so disposed. Great multitudes of the people came to him there, and "he healed them :" The "pharisees also came unto him:" but it was ing him," Matth. xix. 1, 2, 3; Mark x. 1, 2.

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But beside what is recorded by the other evangelists, St. John assures us, that in this interval our Lord came to Bethany, about fifteen furlongs, or two miles, from Jerusalem, and there raised Lazarus to life, ch. xi. 1—44. many of the Jews, which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him:" that is, that he was the Christ. "But some of them went their way to the pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done," ver. 45, 46. "Then gathered they a council.Then from that day forth, they took counsel together, for to put him to death," ver. 47-53. This shows, that they were inflexible, and not to be gained by any considerations. It follows in ver. 54," Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews but went thence into a country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples." Which," I suppose, was not far from the place from which our Lord came last. And from this city, called Ephraim, our Lord came to Bethany again, by the way of Jericho, a short time before the next passover, as related by the other evangelists. We proceed.

Says St. John, ch. xi. 55—57, “ And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand. Now both the chief priests and the pharisees had given a commandment, that if any knew where he was, he should show it, that they might take him." That is a proof of a determined purpose to accomplish their evil designs against Jesus.

The whole following xiith chapter of this gospel deserves attentive regard. I must transcribe a part, though it adds to the length of these extracts." Then Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead," ch. xii. 1.

"Vid. Reland. Palæst. 1. i. cap. 56. tom. I. p. 377. et L'Enfant sur S. Jean ch. xi. ver. 54.