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do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ve do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

And he cometh to Bethsaida.

And they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Cæsarea Philippi: And it came to pass, when Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, by the way, as he was praying, his disciples alone were with him and he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man, am? And they answered and said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again :

HE FOUNDS HIS CHURCH.

121

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said,

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him,

Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona:

for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

:

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then he straitly charged his disciples, and commanded them, that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

And from that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he, the Son of Man, must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the Chief Priests, and Scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. And he spake that saying openly. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But when he had turned about, and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

And when he had called the people unto him, with his disciples also, he said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever

will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away ? For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels: and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in his own glory, and in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

*

And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John his brother, and went up into a mountain to pray; and he leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves: And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and he was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment became shining, as the light, exceeding white, and glistering, as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy

* Fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

HIS TRANSFIGURATION AND GLORY. 123

with sleep and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. And it came to pass, as they departed from him, then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: (not knowing what he said. For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid). While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were sore afraid. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And looking round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things: and how it is written of the Son of Man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you, that Elias is

indeed come, already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed; as it is written of him. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

PRAYER.

O Lord Jesu Christ, who, at thy first coming, didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; that at thy second coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Questions on Section XII.

Relate the interview between Christ and the Syrophenician woman. How do you account for Christ's having sometimes made use of outward signs in healing the deaf and the blind, though the whole cause of their cure must have been simply the will of God? Relate the particulars of our Lord's second miracle of feeding a great multitude with a few loaves and little fishes. What foolish mistake did the disciples make when Jesus warned them against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees? What was the answer of Peter when our Lord asked his Apostles "whom say ye that I am?" What was our Lord's remarkable reply to Peter? Relate the subsequent conversation between our Lord and Peter, when the latter was offended at the sufferings, the death, and the resurrection of Christ being predicted by himself. What was our Lord's charge to his disciples, and the people, as to the duty of those who should become followers of Him? Relate the particulars of the transfiguration of Christ? How does our Lord explain that Elias, his fore-runner, was already come?

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