that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: And I will raise him up at the last day.

It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you,

me.

He that hath believed on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life.

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven:

If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: And the bread that I will give is my flesh, Which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

This

CHRIST THE BREAD OF LIFE.

111

is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead:

He that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can bear it? When Jesus knew in

himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

What if ye shall see the Son of Man

ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth ;

the flesh profiteth nothing:

The words that I speak unto you,

they are spirit, and they are life.

For

But there are some of you that believe not.
Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him.
And he said,

Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away ? Then Simon Peter answered him,

Lord, to whom shall we go?

Thou hast the words of eternal life.

And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, The Son of the living God.

Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would

not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.

Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the Scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled (that is to say, with unwashen) hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and Scribes asked him, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

For God commanded, saying,

Honour thy father and thy mother ;

And, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me : and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free and ye suffer him no more to do ought for his mother;

Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition, which ye have delivered: And many such like things do ye. Ye hypocrites,

well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, as it is written, This people draweth nigh unto me with

HE DECLARES WHAT DEFILETH A MAN. 113

their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Howbeit, in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups:

and many other such like things ye do.

And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

Not that which goeth into the mouth

defileth a man ;

But that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said unto them, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do ye not yet understand, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, at the mouth, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

I

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

For those things which proceed out of the mouth Come forth from the heart;

and they defile the man.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, false witness, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolish

ness:

All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

These are the things that defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

PRAYER.

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit every member of thy church is governed and sanctified; mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments in thought, word, and deed, may be so purified by Thee, in body, soul, and spirit, that finally we may be received into thy heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.