371 thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (Luke, one of the old prophets is risen again.) Most part of the people took Jesus for a different person from what he was, because he had nothing of the outward pomp and grandeur with which they supposed the Messiah was to be adorned. Wherefore, that he might know whether his disciples, who had long enjoyed the benefit of his doctrine and miracles, had formed a more just idea of his character, he asked them, what they thought of him themselves? Matt. xvi. 15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art (Mark, the Christ; Luke, the Christ of God) Christ the Son of the living God. Simon, in name of the rest, replied, that they firmly believed him to be their long expected Messiah, who was a person of infinitely greater diguity than either John Baptist, or Elias, or Jeremias, or any other prophet, being the Son of the living God. The epithet of living is given to the supreme Being with great propriety, as it distinguishes him from the heathen idols, which were things without life, mere stocks and stones, the workmanship of mens hands. The title of Messiah Jesus accepted, congratulating Simon on the knowledge which he had of his person and function, a knowledge which had been communicated to him, neither by the sentence of the Sanhedrim declaring Jesus to be Messiah, nor by the authority of any human testimony whatsoever, but merely by the teaching of God. (See on John vi. 45. § 62.) 17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Moreover, in allusion to his surname of Peter, which signifies a rock, Jesus promised that he should have a principal hand in establishing his kingdom. The Christian church was to be erected on his labours as on a solid foundation, so that it should never be destroyed while the world lasted. 18. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; in pronouncing these words, Jesus probably put his hand upon Peter's shoulder: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19. And I will give unto Ver. 18. Thou art Peter] The words, Thou art Peter, are emphatical. Simon had said to Jesus, Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God: Jesus in return, says to him, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church; as it were making an acknowledgement of Simon's dignity, or rather couferring an high dignity on this apostle. Ibid. The gates of bell] Пuhai ade, the gates of hell, or death, is a petiphrasis for hell or death itself. So the phrase is used, Isa. xxxvii. În. where Hezekiah speaking of himself, says, I shall go (v πurnis ads) to the gates of death, I shall die. Our Lord's meaning therefore was, that the Christian church should never be destroyed, no, not by the united force of men and devils combined against it. unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, thou shalt open the gospel dispensation both to Jews and Gentiles; for thou shalt be the first preacher of the gospel to both, in point of time.And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in hea ven, Ver. 19 The keys of the kingdom.] The keys of the kingdom of hea ven, which on this occasion were promised to Peter, are to be understood metaphorically. For our Lord's meaning was, that Peter should open the gates of the kingdom of heaven, or gospel dispensation, both to Jews and Gentiles, i. e. should be the first who preached the gospel to them. And in this sense, Peter seems to have understood the matter himself, Acts xv. 7. Or, by the keys, we may understand power and authority, which is the meaning of the metaphor in the Old Testament. According to this interpretation, the power of binding and loosing added to the power of the keys, may be considered as explicatory thereof. After my ascension into heaven, I will give thee and thy companions in the apostolate, authority to order all the affairs of my church, so that whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, &c. It can be no objection against this interpretation, that it connects the idea of binding and loosing with that of the keys, contrary to the exact propriety of the two metaphors; for all who have studied the scriptures know, that in many passages the ideas and expressions are accommodated to the subject matter, rather than to the precedent metaphor. † Ver. 19. Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth.] The power of binding and loosing now conferred on Peter, and afterwards on all the apostles, (Matt. xviii. 18. 74) was a power of declaring the laws of the gospel, and the terms of salvation. For in the Jewish language, to bind and loose were words made use of by the doctors, to signify the unlawfulness or lawfulness of things, as Selden, Buxtorff, and Lightfoot have proved. Wherefore our Lord's meaning was, whatever things thou shalt bind up from men, or declare forbidden on earth, shall be forbidden by heaven; and whatever things thou shalt loose to men, permit to be done, shall be lawful and obligatory in the esteem of heaven. Accordingly it may he observed, that the gender made use of in both passages, agrees to this interpretation: In that under consideration, it is not ov, in the other, it is a not oss. There are some, however, who by the posuer of binding and loosing, understand the power of actually remitting and retaining mens sins directly; and in support of their opinion, they produce John xx. 22. Receive re the Holy Ghost. 23. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But the expression of forgiv ing sins, is used by our Lord, to denote the removal of their temporal pu nishment, Matt. ix. 2. Jesus seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee: For that it was the temporal punishment only of this man's sins which our Lord now forgave, is plain, I think, from the reason of the pardon, viz. the faith, not of the man himself, who appears to have been wholly passive in the matter, but of those who brought him in, which could have no influence in obtaining for him an eternal pardon. (See on Matt. viii. 17. 29.) It may therefore be justly doubted whether our Lord ever bestowed on his apostles a particular power of remitting and retaining any thing but the temporal punishment of mens sins, unless we choose to call the power of declaring the terins of salvation, now committed to Peter, and afterwards to the other apostics, a power of remitting and retaining mens sins, because, according to these terms, men shall be either acquitted or condemned. This high power of declaring the terms of salvation, and precepts of the gospel, the apostles did not enjoy in its full extent, till the memorable day of Pentecost, when they ven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Whatsoever thou shalt preach as a precept of the gospel, or term of mens salvation, shall be ratified in heaven as such, because thou shalt have the infallible direction of the Spirit of God in this matter. Mat. xvi. 20. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. Luke ix. 21. And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing. 22. Saying, The Son of man must (Matt. go unto Jerusalem, and) suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. Mark expresses it thus, viii. 31. And after three days rise again: Kai μrta Tgers nurgas avasaval, and rise again on the third day. See this translation justified in the note on Matt. xii. 40. 48. Besides, the chief priests and Pharisees understood the prophesy in no other sense. For having been informed of it by common report, or having heard, Jesus utter it on some other occasion, they came to Pilate after his crucifixion, Matt. xxvii. 63. Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again. 64. Command, therefore, that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples," &c. According to the chief priests and Pharisees, therefore, Mira Tges nusgas sysgouat, signifies, on the third day I will rise again. Just as John xx. 26. Mstα nusgas oxta signifies undoubtedly, on the eighth day; namely, after the precedent Sabbath. To conclude, this rendering brings Mark to agree with the other evangelists. Jesus forbade his disciples to tell any man that he was Messiah, because, according to the divine decree, he was they received the Holy Ghost in the plenitude of his gifts. After this, their decisions on points of doctrine and duty, being all given by inspiration, were infalible definitions, and ratified in heaven Here then was an immense honour conferred on the apostles, and what must yield great consolation to the pious. There is nothing doubtful in the gospel, much less false. But we may safely rest the salvation of our souls on the discoveries there made to us, since they have all come originally from God. * Luke 22. The Son of man must suffer.] Our Lord frequently after this repeated the prediction of his sufferings; for example, Matth. xvii. 22. xx. 18. xxvi. 2. Luke xvii. 25. xxii 15. But it is remarkable, that on none of these occasions, was the prophecy delivered to any but the twelve, and a few select women, (Luke xxiv. 6, 8.) one instance excepted, viz. Luke xvi. 25. where it was expressed in terms somewhat obscure The multitude of the disciples were never let into the secret, because it might have made them desert Christ, as they had not, like the apostles, raised expectations of particular preferments in his kingdom, to biass their understandings, and hinder them from perceiving the meaning of the prediction. It is true, he foretold his resurrection from the dead more publicly; for oftener than once he appealed to it as the principal proof of his mission, even in presence of the priests, as is evident from their mentioning it to Pilate, Matt. xxvii. 63. Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he as get alive, After three days I will rise again. It seems the priests had been often our Lord's hearers. [Sect. 71. was to be rejected by the great men as a false Christ, and to suffer the punishment of death; circumstances which could not fail to give his followers great offence, as they did not yet understand the nature of his kingdom. For which reason he thought it better to leave every one to form a judgment of his character from his doctrine and miracles, than in all places to assume the title of Messiah publicly, under such disadvantages. Or his meaning may have been this; because it is determined that Messiah shall suffer death, it is not proper to assume that title publicly, lest the people declaring in my behalf endeavour to prevent the execution of the divine decree. Mark viii. 32. And he spake that saying openly, (agenoa, plainly.) Our Lord thought fit to foretell his own sufferings plainly, to bear down any towering imaginations that might have sprung up in the apostles minds from the preceding discourses. For their faith was now so confirmed, that they could bear the discovery, without being in danger of forsaking him. Nevertheless Peter, to whom the power of the keys, or place of high steward in the kingdom, as he would take it, was promised, could not help being very much displeased to hear his Master talk of dying at Jerusalem, immediately after he had been saluted Messiah, and had accepted the title. Wherefore, taking him aside, Peter rebuked him for the expression, which he was so bold as to think unguarded. Mat. xvi. 22. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee. 23. But he turned and said unto Peter, (Mark, But when he had turned about, and looked on his disciples, who by the air of their countenance seemed to approve what they heard Peter saying to him, 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 those thats be of men. It is remarkable, that our Lord, immediately after conferring on Peter the high dignity before-mentioned, did openly, in the hearing of all the disciples, call him Satan, or adversary; and declare that he had then no relish for the Divine appointments, but was influenced merely by human views and expectations of worldly interest. If the Papists did rightly attend to this passage of the history, they would see their fancies about the primacy of Peter which they build upon it, in a better light than they seem to do. § LXXI. In the country of Casarea Philippi, Jesus inculcates the virtue of self-denial, (see § 93, 105.) and declares that he will judge the world at the last day. Matt. xvi. 24,-28. Mark viii. 34, 35. ix. 1. Luke ix. 23,-27. BECAUSE Peter's indecent behaviour, just now mentioned, proceeded from his love of the world and its pleasures, Jesus declared publicly, that all who would be his disciples, and share with him in the glory of his kingdom, must deny themselves. Mark viii. 34. And when he had called the people unto him, with his disciples also, he said unto them, (Luke, all) Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself: that is, be in constant readiness to renounce every earthly pleasure, with life itself, when called to do so. (See on Luke xiv. 33. § 93.) And in ordinary cases he must take up his cross (Luke, daily) and follow me. (See on Matt. x. 38. § 40.) After having undergone many af: fictions, the disciples of Christ may still look for more, which when laid upon them, they must sustain with equal patience, following their master in the footsteps of his afflictions. This indeed is a very hard and difficult lesson, but at the same time it is absolutely necessary, because, if in order to preserve our temporal life we displease Christ, we shall lose what is really and truly our life, the eternal happiness of our souls. Whereas, if we will die rather than disobey him, we shall obtain infinite and endless joys. Luke ix. 24. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosever will lose his life for my sake, (Mark, and the gospel's) the same shall save it. (Matt. find it.) To carry home the argument more closely, he put them in mind of the method according to which men estimate things. If God should offer the riches of Solomon, the strength of Sampson, the policy of Ahitophel, the beauty of Absalom, the eloquence of Apollos, universal monarchy, and all kinds of pleasures, and should say, Take them for one hour, and then die; who is the man that would not immediately reject the proposed condition, and reply, that life is better than them all? but will men forego every earthly thing for life, the life of the body? and will they not part with them, nay, and with life itself, for their souls? since the longest any one can enjoy this life with its pleasures, is, in comparison of eternity, no longer than he enjoys the good things mentioned, who dies in the same hour he receives them. Matt. xvi. 26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Luke, lose himself, or be cast away?) or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? namely, at the day of judgment. But that this argument, by which the necessity of self-denial is so clearly established, might have the greater weight, our Lord spake more particularly concerning the rewards and punishments of a future state, assuring his disciples, that they are all to be distributed by himself, the Father having appointed him universal Judge, so that his enemies cannot flatter themselves with the hope of escaping condign punishment, nor his friends be in the * Take up his cross.] It was the custom anciently for the malefactor to carry the cross on which he was to suffer to the place of execution. Hente the expression of taking up one's cross, was used to signify his suffering any evil willingly. |