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it, when he tells the apostles that "when the Son | fore, in all humility, addresses himself to our Saof Man shall sit on the throne of his glory," that viour; which he had no sooner done but servants is, be gone back to heaven, and have taken full came post to tell him that it was in vain to troupossession of his evangelical kingdom, which ble our Lord, for that his daughter was dead. principally commenced from his resurrection, that Christ bids him not despond; if his faith held out then they also should sit upon twelve thrones, there was no danger. And suffering none to foljudging the twelve tribes of Israel;"* that is, low him but Peter, James, and John, he goes they should have great power and authority in the along with him to the house; where he was dechurch, such as the power of the keys, and other rided by the sorrowful friends and neighbors, for rights of spiritual judicature and sovereignty, telling them that she was not perfectly dead. But answerable in some proportion to the power and our Lord entering in, with the commanding effidignity which the heads and rulers of the twelve cacy of two words, restored her at once both to tribes of Israel did enjoy. life and perfect health.

3. In the enumeration of these twelve apostles, 5. Our Lord after this preached many sermons, all the evangelists constantly place St. Peter in and wrought many miracles; amongst which none the front, and St. Matthew expressly tells us that more remarkable than his feeding a multitude of he was the first; that is, he was the first that five thousand men, besides women and children, was called to be an apostle: his age also, and the but with five loaves and two fishes;* of which, gravity of his person more particularly qualifying nevertheless, twelve baskets of fragments were him for a primacy of order amongst the rest of taken up. Which being done, and the multitude the apostles, as that without which no society of dismissed, he commanded the apostles to take ship, men can be managed or maintained. Less than it being now near night, and to cross over to Cathis, as none will deny him, so, more than this pernaum, whilst he himself, as his manner was, neither Scripture nor primitive antiquity do allow retired to a neighboring mountain, to dispose himhim. And now it was that our Lord actually con- self to prayer and contemplation. The apostles ferred that name upon him which before he had were scarce got into the middle of the sea, when promised him. "Simon he surnamed Peter." on a sudden a violent storm and tempest began It may here be inquired, when and by whom the to arise, whereby they were brought into present apostles were baptized. That they were, is un-danger of their lives. Our Saviour, who knew questionable, being themselves appointed to con- how the case stood with them, and how much fer it upon others; but when or how the Scrip- they labored under infinite pains and fears, having ture is altogether silent. Nicephorus, from no himself caused this tempest for the greater trial worse an author, as he pretends, than Euodius, of their faith, a little before morning (for so long St. Peter's immediate successor in the see of they remained in this imminent danger) immedi Antioch, tells us, that of all the apostles Christ ately conveyed himself upon the sea, where the baptized none but Peter with his own hands; that waves received him, being proud to carry their Peter baptized Andrew and the two sons of Ze- master. He who refused to gratify the devils, bedee, and they the rest of the apostles. This, when tempting him to throw himself down from if so, would greatly make for the honor of St. the pinnacle of the temple, did here commit himPeter. But alas! his authority is not only sus-self to a boisterous and instable element, and that picious but supposititious, in a manner deserted in a violent storm, walking upon the water as if by St. Peter's best friends, and the strongest it had been dry ground. But that infinite power champions of his cause. Baronius himself, how-that made and supports the world, as it gave rules ever, sometimes willing to make use of him, else to all particular beings, so can, when it pleaseth, where confesses that this epistle of Euodius is countermand the laws of their creation, and make altogether unknown to any of the ancients. As for the testimony of Clemens Alexandrinus, which to the same purpose he quotes out of Sophronius, (though not Sophronius but Johannes Moschus, as is notoriously known, be the author of that book,) besides that it is delivered upon an uncertain report, pretended to have been alleged in a discourse between one Dionysius, bishop of Ascalon, and his clergy, out of a book of Clemens not now extant; his authors are much alike, that is, of no great value and authority.

4. Amongst these apostles our Lord chose a triumvirate, Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, to be his more intimate companions, whom he admitted more familiarly than the rest unto all the more secret passages and transactions of his life. The first instance of which was on this occasion: -Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, had a daughter desperately sick, whose disease, having baffled all the arts of physic, was only curable by the immediate agency of the God of nature. He there

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them act contrary to their natural inclinations. If God say the word, the sun will stand still in the middle of the heavens; if, Go back, it will retrocede, as upon the dial of Ahaz: if he command it, the heavens will become as brass, and the earth as iron, and that for three years and a half together, as in the case of Elijah's prayer: If he say to the sea, Divide, it will run upon heaps, and become on both sides as firm as a wall of marble. Nothing can be more natural than for the fire to burn, and yet at God's command it will forget its nature, and become a screen and a fence to the three children in the Babylonian furnace. What heavier than iron, or more natural than for gravity to tend downwards? yet, when God will have it, iron shall float like cork on the top of the water. The proud and raging sea, that naturally refuses to bear the bodies of men while alive, became here as firm as brass, when commanded to wait upon and do homage to the God of nature. Our Lord walking toward the ship, as if he had an intention to pass it, he was espied by them, who presently

Matt. xiv. 17.

neither they nor their fathers were able to bear. Should they go to the Scribes and Pharisees? they would feed them with stones instead of bread, obtrude human conditions upon them for divine dictates and commands. Should they betake themselves to the philosophers amongst the Gentiles? they were miserably blind and shortsighted in their notions of things, and their sentiments and opinions not only different from, but contrary to one another. No, it was he only had

thought it to be the apparition of a spirit. Hereupon they were seized with great terror and consternation, and their fears were, in all likelihood, heightened by the vulgar opinion, that there are evil spirits that choose rather to appear in the night than by day. While they were in this agony, our Lord, taking compassion on them, calls to them, and bids them not be afraid, for that it was no other than he himself. Peter (the eagerness of whose temper carried him forward to all bold and resolute undertakings) entreated our Lord, that if" the words of eternal life," whose doctrine could it was he, he might have leave to come upon the water to him. Having received his orders, he went out of the ship, and walked upon the sea to meet his master. But when he found the wind to bear hard against him, and the waves to rise round about him, whereby, probably, the sight of Christ was intercepted, he began to be afraid; and the higher his fears arose the lower his faith began to sink, and together with that, his body to sink under water: whereupon, in a passionate fright, he cried out to our Lord to help him; who, reaching out his arm, took him by the hand, and set him again upon the top of the water, with this gentle reproof: "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" It being the weakness of our faith that makes the influences of the divine power and goodness to have no better effect upon us. Being come to the ship, they took them in ; where our Lord no sooner arrived, but the winds and waves, observing their duty to their sovereign Lord, and having done the errand which they came upon, mannerly departed and vanished away, and the ship in an instant was at the shore. All

instruct them in the plain way to heaven; that they had fully assented to what both John and he had said concerning himself; that they were fully persuaded, both from the efficacy of his sermons which they heard, and the powerful conviction of his miracles, which they had seen, that he was "the Son of the living God," the true Messiah and Saviour of the world. But notwithstanding this fair and plausible testimony, he tells them that they were not all of this mind; that there was a satan amongst them, one that was moved by the spirit and impulse, and that acted according to the rules and interest of the devil: intimating Judas, who should betray him. So hard is it to meet with a body of so just and pure a constitution wherein some rotten member or distempered part is not to be found.

SECTION IV.

our Lord's last Passover.

that were in the ship being strangely astonished Of St. Peter, from the time of his Confession till at this miracle, and fully convinced of the divinity of his person, came and did homage to him, with this confession: "Of a truth thou art the Son of God." After which they went ashore, and landed in the country of Genesareth, and there more fully acknowledged him before all the people.

IT was some time since our Saviour had kept his third passover at Jerusalem,* when he directed his journey towards Cæsarea Philippi; where by the way, having, like a careful master of his fa6. The next day, great multitudes flocking after mily, first prayed with his apostles, he began to him, he entered into a synagogue at Capernaum; ask them (having been more than two years puband taking occasion from the late miracle of the licly conversant amongst them) what the world loaves, which he had wrought amongst them, he thought concerning him. They answered, that began to discourse concerning himself, as the the opinions of men about him were various and "true manna,' "* and the "bread that came down different; that some took him for John the Bapfrom heaven;" largely opening unto them many tist lately risen from the dead; between whose of the more sublime and spiritual mysteries, and doctrine, discipline, and way of life, in the main, the necessary and important duties of the gospel. there was so great a correspondence. That Hereupon a great part of his auditory who had others thought he was Elias; probably judging hitherto followed him, finding their understandings so from the gravity of his person, freedom of his gravelled with these difficult and uncommon no- preaching, the fame and reputation of his mirations, and that the duties he required were likely cles; especially since the Scriptures assured to grate hard upon them, and perceiving now that them he was not dead, but taken up into heaven, he was not the Messiah they took him for, whose and had so expressly foretold that he should rekingdom should consist in an external grandeur turn back again. That others looked upon him as and plenty, but was to be managed and transact- the prophet Jeremiah alive again, of whose return ed in a more inward and spiritual way; hereupon the Jews had great expectations, insomuch that fairly left him in open field, and henceforth quite some of them thought the soul of Jeremiah was returned their backs upon him. Whereupon our inspired into Zacharias. Or if not thus, at least Lord, turning about to his apostles, asked them that he was one of the more eminent of the anwhether they also would go away from him?cient prophets, or that the soul of some of these Peter (spokesman generally for all the rest) an- persons had been breathed into him: the doctrine swered, whither they should go to mend and bet- of the metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls, ter their condition; should they return back to first broached and propagated by Pythagoras, beMoses? alas! he laid "a yoke upon them which ing at this time current among the Jews, and

* John vi. 32.

* Mark viii. 27: Matt. xvi. 21; Luke ix. 18.

owned by the Pharisees as one of their prime no- | very much tend to exalt the honor of Peter, yet is tions and principles.*

2. This account not sufficing, our Lord comes closer and nearer to them; tells them, it was no wonder if the common people were divided into these wild thoughts concerning him; but since they had been always with him, had been hearers of his sermons, and spectators of his miracles, he inquired what they themselves thought of him. Peter, ever forward to return an answer, and therefore, by the fathers, frequently styled "the mouth of the apostles," told him, in the name of the rest, that he was the Messiah, "the Son of the living God," promised of old in the law and the prophets, heartily desired and looked for by all good men, anointed and set apart by God to be the King, Priest, and Prophet of his people. To this excellent and comprehensive confession of St. Peter's, our Lord returns this great eulogy and commendation: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah; flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven :" that is, this faith which thou hast now confessed is not human, contrived by man's wit, or built upon his testimony, but upon those notions and principles which I was sent by God to reveal to the world, and those mighty and solemn attestations which he has given from heaven, to the truth both of my person and my doctrine. And because thou hast so freely made this confession, therefore "I also say 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." That is, that as thy name signifies a stone, or rock, such shalt thou thyself be, firm, solid, and immovable in building of the church; which shall be so orderly erected by thy care and diligence, and so firmly founded upon that faith which thou hast now confessed, that all the attempts and assaults which the powers of hell can make against it shall not be able to overturn it. Moreover, "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 :" that is, thou shalt have that spiritual authority and power within the church, whereby, as with keye, thou shalt be able to shut and lock out obstinate and impenitent sinners, and, upon their repentance, to unlock the door and take them in again: and what thou shalt thus regularly do, shall be owned in the court above, and ratified by God in heaven.

3. Upon these several passages, the champions of the church of Rome mainly build the unlimited supremacy and infallibility of the bishops of that see; with how much truth and how little reason it is not my present purpose to discuss. It may suffice here to remark, that though this place does

The Jews had long since imbibed the love of Grecian philosophy, which began to be current among them from the time of Alexander. And as the Christians of Alexandria afterwards mingled Platonism with the gospel, so the Pharisees, but by doing much more force to both systems, mingled the doctrines of Pythagoras with those of Moses; or rather with the fanciful comments by which their rabbis had corrupted the pure word of Scripture. This system is alluded to in the account of the man born blind, John ix. 3.-ED.

there nothing herein personal and peculiar to him alone, as distinct from, and preferred above the rest of the apostles. Does he here make confession of Christ's being the Son of God? Yet, be sides that herein he spake but the sense of all the rest, this was no more than what others had said as well as he, yea before he was so much as called to be a disciple. Thus Nathanael, at his first coming to Christ, expressly told him, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel."* Does our Lord here style him a rock! | All the apostles are elsewhere equally called foundations; yea, said to be the "twelve foundations upon which the wall of the new Jerusalem," that is, the evangelical church, is erected; and sometimes others of them besides Peter are called pillars, as they have relation to the church already built. Does Christ here promise the keys to Peter? that is, power of governing, and of exercising church censures, and absolving penitent sinners? The very same is elsewhere promised to all the apostles, and almost in the very same terms and words: "If thine offending brother prove obstinate, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee an heathen and a publican. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." And else where, when ready to leave the world, he tells them: "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." By all which it is evident, that our Lord did not here give any personal prerogative to St. Peter, as universal pastor and head of the Christian church, much less to those who were to be his successors in the see of Rome; but that as he made his confession in the name of the rest of the apostles, so what was here promised unto him was equally intended unto all.— Nor did the more considering and judicious part of the fathers (however giving a mighty reverence to St. Peter) ever understand it in any other sense. Sure I am, that Origin tells us, that every true Christian that makes this confession with the same spirit and integrity which St. Peter did, shall have the same blessing and commendation from Christ conferred upon him.

4. The holy Jesus, knowing the time of his passion to draw on, began to prepare the minds of his apostles against that fatal hour; telling them what hard and bitter things he should suffer at Jerusalem, what affronts and indignities he must undergo, and be at last put to death, with all the arts of torture and disgrace, by the decree of the Jewish Sanhedrim. Peter, whom our Lord had infinitely encouraged and endeared to him, by the great things which he had lately said concerning him, so that his spirits were now afloat, and his passions ready to overrun the banks, not able to endure a thought that so much evil should befall his master, broke out into an over-confident and unseasonable interruption of him: "He took him

* John i. 49. + Rev. xxi. 14; Eph. ii. 20; Gal. ii. 9. + Matt. xviii. 17, 18. John xx. 21, 23. 5 Matt. xvi. 21; Mark viii. 31; Luke ix. 22.

jesty of a glorified state, familiarly conversing with him, and discoursing of the death and sufferings which he was shortly to undergo, and his departure into heaven. Behold here together the three greatest persons that ever were the ministers of heaven: Moses, under God, the institutor and promulgator of the law; Elias, the great reformer of it, when under its deepest degeneracy and corruption; and the blessed Jesus, the Son of God, who came to take away what was weak and imperfect. and to introduce a more manly and rational institution, and to communicate the last revelation which God would make of his mind to the world.

and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from | shine as the sun, in the kingdom of the Father." thee, Lord; this shall not be unto thee." Be-During this heavenly scene, there appeared Moses sides his great kindness and affection to his mas- and Elias, (who, as the Jews say, shall come toter, the minds of the apostles were not yet tho-gether,) clothed with all the brightness and maroughly purged from the hopes and expectations of a glorious reign of the Messiah; so that Peter could not but look upon these sufferings as unbecoming and inconsistent with the state and dignity of the Son of God; and therefore thought good to advise his Lord to take care of himself, and, while there was time, to prevent and avoid them. This our Lord, who valued the redemption of mankind infinitely before his own ease and safety, resented at so high a rate that he returned upon him with this tart and stinging reproof: "Get thee behind me, Satan:" the very same treatment which he once gave to the devil himself, when he made that insolent proposal to him, "to fall down and wor-Peter and the two apostles that were with him ship him." Though in Satan it was the result of pure malice and hatred, in Peter only an error of love and great regard. However, our Lord could not but look upon it as a mischievous and diabolical counsel, prompted and promoted by the great adversary of mankind. Away therefore, says Christ, with thy hellish and pernicious counsel: "Thou art an offence unto me," in seeking to oppose and undermine that great design for which I purposely came down from heaven: in this, "thou savourest not the things of God, but those that be of men," in suggesting to me those little shifts and arts of safety and self-preservation, which human prudence and the love of men's own selves are wont to dictate to them: by which, though we may learn Peter's mighty kindness to our Saviour, yet that herein he did not take his measures right; a plain evidence that his infallibility had not taken place.

were, in the mean time, fast asleep; heavy through want of natural rest, (it being probably night when this was done,) or else overpowered with these extraordinary appearances, which the frailty and weakness of their present state could not bear, were fallen into a trance; but now awaking, were strangely surprised to behold our Lord surrounded with so much glory, and those two great persons conversing with him: knowing who they were, probably by some particular marks and signatures that were upon them, or else by immediate revelation, or from the discourse which passed betwixt Christ and them, or possibly from some communication which they themselves might have with them. While these heavenly guests were about to depart, Peter, in a great rapture and ecstacy of mind, addressed himself to our Saviour, telling him how infinitely they were pleased and delighted with their being there; and, to that purpose, de5. About a week after this, our Saviour being siring his leave that they might erect three taberto receive a type and specimen of his future glori-nacles, one for him, one for Moses, and one for fication, took with him his three more intimate apostles, Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,† and went up into a very high mountain, which the ancients generally conceived to have been Mount Tabor, a round and very high mountain, situate in the plains of Galilee. And now was even literally fulfilled what the Psalmist had spoken "Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name." For what greater joy and triumph than to be peculiarly chosen to be the holy mount, whereon our Lord, in so eminent a manner, "received from God the Father honor and glory," and made such magnificent displays of his divine power and majesty? For while they were here earnestly employed in prayer, (as seldom did our Lord enter upon any eminent action but he first made his address to heaven,) he was suddenly transformed into another manner of appearance; such a lustre and radiancy darted from his face, that the sun itself shines not brighter at noon-day: such beams of light reflected from his garments as outdid the light itself that was round about them; so exceeding pure and white that the snow might blush to compare with it; nor could the fuller's art purify any thing into half that whiteness; an evident and sensible representation of the glory of that state wherein the just shall "walk in white, and

* Luke iv. 8. + Matt. xvii. 1; Mark ix. 2. Psalm lxxxix. 12.

Elias. While he was thus saying, a bright cloud suddenly overshadowed the two great ministers, and wrapped them up; out of which came a voice: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him :" which when the apostles heard, and saw the cloud coming over themselves, they were seized with great consternation, and fell upon their faces to the ground; whom our Lord gently touched, bade them arise and disband their fears; whereupon, looking up, they saw none but their master, the rest having vanished and disappeared. In memory of these great transactions, Bede tells us, that in pursuance of St. Peter's petition about the three tabernacles, there were afterwards three churches built upon the top of this mountain, which, in after times, were had in great veneration; which might possibly give some foundation to that report which one makes, that in his time there were showed the ruins of those three tabernacles which were built according to St. Peter's desire.

6. After this, our Lord and his apostles having travelled through Galilee,* the gatherers of the tribute-money came to Peter, and asked him, whether his master was not obliged to pay the tribute, which God, under the Mosaic law, commanded to be yearly paid by every Jew above twenty years old, to the use of the temple; which so con

Matt. xvii. 24.

vice; that for their parts, they should be recompensed with far greater privileges; and that whoever should forsake houses or lands, kindred or relations, out of love to him and his religion, should enjoy them again, with infinite advantages, in this

state, and those troubles and persecutions which would necessarily arise from the profession of the gospel: however, they should have what would make infinite amends for all-eternal life in the other world.

tinued to the times of Vespasian, under whom the temple being destroyed, it was by him transferred to the use of the capitol at home, being to the value of half a shekel, or fifteen-pence of our money. To this question of theirs, Peter positively answers, Yes; knowing his master would never be back-world, if consistent with the circumstances of their ward, either "to give unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, or unto God the things that are God's." Peter going into the house to give an account to his master, and to know his mind concerning it, Christ prevented him with this question: "What thinkest thou, Simon, of whom do earthly kings exact tribute, of their own children" and family, or from other people? Peter answered, Not from their own servants and family, but from strangers. To which our Lord presently replied, that then, according to his own argument and opinion, both he himself, as being the Son of God, and they, whom he had taken to be his menial and domestic servants, were free from this tax of head-money, yearly to be paid to God. But rather than give offence, by seeming to despise the temple, and to undervalue that authority that had settled this tribute, he resolves to put himself to the expense and charges of a miracle, and therefore commanded Peter to go to the sea, and take up the first fish which came to his hook, in whose mouth he should find a piece of money, (a stater, in value a shekel, or half-a-crown,) which he took and gave to the collectors, both for his master and himself.

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8. Our Saviour, in order to his last fatal journey to Jerusalem, that he might the better comply with the prophecy that went before him, sent two of his apostles, who in all probability were Peter and John, with an authoritative commission to fetch him an ass to ride on ;* (he had none of his own; he who "was rich, for our sakes made himself poor;" he lived upon charity all his life, had neither an ass to ride on, nor a house where to lay his head; no, nor after his death a tomb to lie in, but what the charity of others provided for him ;) whereon being mounted, and attended with the festivities of the people, he set forward in his journey; wherein there appears an admirable mixture of humility and majesty: the ass he rode on became the meanness and meekness of a prophet; but his arbitrary commission for the fetching it, and the ready obedience of its owners, spake the prerogative of a king; the palms borne before him, 7. Our Lord, after this, discoursing to them how the garments strewed in his way, and the joyful to carry themselves towards their offending bre- hosannahs and acclamations of the people, prothren, Peter, being desirous to be more particularly claim at once both the majesty of a prince and the informed in this matter, asked our Saviour, how triumph of a Saviour; for such expressions of joy oft a man was obliged to forgive his brother, in case we find were usual in public and festival solemniof offence and trespass, whether seven times were ties. Thus the historian, describing the emperor not enough.* He told him, that upon his neigh- Commodus's triumphant return to Rome, tells us, bor's repentance, he was not only bound to do it that the senate and whole people of Rome, to tesseven times, but until seventy times seven :" that tify their mighty kindness and veneration for him, is, he must be indulgent to him, as oft as the offend- came out of the city to meet him, carrying palms er returns and begs it, and heartily professes his and laurels along with them, and throwing about sorrow and repentance: which he further illus- all sorts of flowers that were then in season. trates by a plain and excellent parable, and thence this manner our Lord being entered the city, he draws this conclusion, that the same measures, soon after retired to Bethany, whence he despatcheither of compassion or cruelty, which men showed Peter and John to make preparation for the to their fellow-brethren, they themselves shall meet with at the hands of God, the supreme ruler and justiciary of the world. It was not long after, when a brisk young man addressed himself to our Saviour, to know of him by what methods he might best attain eternal life ;† our Lord, to humble his confidence, bid him "sell his estate, and give it to the poor" and, putting himself under his discipline, he should have a much better "treasure in heaven." The man was rich, and liked not the counsel, nor was he willing to purchase happiness at such a rate, and accordingly went away under great sorrow and discontent. Upon which Christ takes occasion to let them know, how hardly those men would get to heaven, who built their comfort and happiness upon the plenty and abundance of these Of St. Peter, from the last Passover till the Death outward things. Peter, taking hold of this opportunity, asked, what return they themselves should have, who had quitted and renounced whatever they had for his sake and service. Our Saviour answers, that no man should be a loser by his ser

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passover; giving them instructions where he would have it kept : accordingly they found the person he had described to them, whom they followed home to his house. Whether this was the house of John the Evangelist, as (Nicephorus tells us,) situate near Mount Sion, or of Simon the leper, or of Nicodemus, or of Joseph of Arimathea, as others severally conjecture, seeing none of the evangelists have thought fit to tell us, it may not become us curiously to inquire.

SECTION V.

of Christ.

ALL things being now prepared, our Saviour with his apostles comes down for the celebration of the passover: and being entered into the house, they

* Matt. xxi. 1.

+ Matt. xxvi. 17; Mark xiv. 12; Luke xxii. 7.

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