LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS -: CHRIST. soy difcontent, faid, are ye offended becaufe I told. you my flefh was meat, and my blood was drink; what would you think if ye faw the Son of man afcend up' where he was before? It is the Spirit that quick- eneth ; theflefiz profiteth nothing : the words Mat I(peak unto you, they are fpirit, and they are life. Thus, our Lord further ex- plained the meaning of what he had before advanced ; as mach as if: he had faid, When you fee me afcend with thisbody into heaven, you will be convinced that I really defcended from thence ; and you will alfo perceive that you 'cannot eat my flefh, or drink my' blood in a : corporeal' manner ; I never intendedyou fhould think my words had any fuch meaning; my flefh, in filch cafe, couldnot be of any advantage . to the fons of men ; but the great bleffings I' have been relating, arife from receiving the dolirines I preach ;. to reveal there, I laidafide:the glory which I had with my Father ; I took upon me the veil of flefh, and' affumed the nature of man: it is therefore, entering into the fpirit of there doctrines, which will bring you into eternal life ; but I know your, hearts are fo wicked, and your prejudices fo ftrong, that you, will not receive. them : nor, am I ,difap pointed in you; for, I have told you be-. fore, that no man can come unto me, except it be given him of the Father. The Jews were fo puzzled, confounded, and offended at this difcourfe, that many who had profeiled themfclves the difciples of CHRIST, departed out of the fynagogue, and followed him no more. They did not underfland his views, nor like his method of proceeding; nor could they perceive how a temporal kingdom, that idol of Jewifh vanity, was likely at this rate to be eflablifhed : and, therefore, they could no longer acknowledge JESUS to be the Mef- fiah, whole appearance and reign they ex- pelled fo vaftly different. When the Jews were departed, our Lord turned himfelf to his difciples, with a look of endearing kindnefs, and faid, Will you alfo go away? To this Peter an- fwered, Lord, to whomfliall wego ! thou haft-thelzoords of eternal life. And we be- lieve, and are fure, that thou art the Chr, the Son of the'living God. This declaration of Peter, was fpoken iii allufion to what JEsus had before been affecting, that he was the bread of life ;' and contained a full declaration of his faith in his Mailer, as the Son of God, and the Redeemer of Ifrael. JESUS was well pleafed with the profeffion of faith which Peter had made for himfelf, and the refl of the apoflles ; but, to let them fee that he knew the thoughts of the heart, and was acquaintedwith the inmofl receffes of the foul, he informed them, that there was one am°ongfl them who was a wicked man, and would be guilty of the bafefl, vileft, and moll abominableactions ; which prediction. was fully accomplifhed, when Judas Ifcariót; one of the twelve, wickedly betrayed his great Lord' and Mailer. The third paffover, fnce our Lord's public miniftry, was near at hand, and JESUS went up to Jerufalem to celebrate the feáfi : but the Jews, who were offended at his difcourfe in the fynagogue of Ca- pernaum, followed him with fuch furious and implacable refentment, that they fought to take away his life. Our Lord, there- fore, not choofing to flay in Jerufalem, departed from that city, and returned into Galilee. The Pharifees knew that he was fo:much in. the favour of the people, that they did not make any violent attempts on his per- fon, while he continued in that country : but they followed him with deign to lay hold on fome of his words or allions, whereby they might 'accufe him to the people, 'as a breaker of the law : they carefully. Watched every opportunity, and at fall they publicly, attacked him, and branded his conduit as highly blameworthy, becaufe
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